The sky changes color because light travels through more air at sunrise and sunset. Imagine you're shining a flashlight through a jar filled with tiny bubbles, the farther the light has to go, the more it gets scattered. In the morning or evening, sunlight travels a longer path through Earth's atmosphere, making the blue light scatter away, leaving behind reds and oranges like paint on a canvas.
Examples
- A flashlight shining through a jar full of bubbles turns red when you look from the side.
- A red balloon looks even redder in the evening sky because blue light has scattered away.
- The sky is blue during the day, but turns orange at sunset because the sunlight has to travel farther through air.
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See also
- Why Is the Sky Blue?
- Why Do We See Different Colors in the Same Sky?
- What is Atmospheric perspective?
- Why do we actually see the sun?
- What Makes a ‘Sunset’ Feel So Magical?