During twilight, when the sun is just below the horizon, sunlight travels through more of Earth’s atmosphere. This makes the sky look pink or orange because blue light gets scattered away, leaving behind warm colors. It's like when you mix red and yellow paint, the result looks pink!
Why It Happens The blue light in sunlight scatters more easily than red or orange light. When the sun is low, it has to travel through [more air](/search?q=more%20air) before reaching your eyes. This makes the blue light [scatter](/search?q=scatter) away, and the red and orange colors become more visible.
Examples
- A child watching the sunset sees a sky turn from blue to orange.
- During sunrise, the sky looks pink because blue light is scattered away.
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See also
- What Causes the Northern Lights?
- How Does a Mirror Work Exactly?
- How Does Gravity Affect the Moon’s Orbit?
- What Causes a ‘Golden’ Sunset or Sunrise?
- How Does Gravity Affect Space Travel?
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Categories: Physics · light,scattering,sunrise,sunset,optics