Why does this happen?
When the sun is high in the sky, its light goes straight to us. But when it’s near the edge of the sky, like during a sunset, its light has to travel through more air to reach our eyes.
Think of it like a glass of water with food coloring in it. When you look at it from the top, the color is clear. But if you look through the side, the color looks darker and richer, because the light had to pass through more liquid.
In the same way, more air means more scattering of the blue and green parts of sunlight. That leaves the red and orange parts to shine through, making the sky look red or orange, like a cozy fire on a chilly evening!
Examples
- A child sees the sun turn red and wonders why it happens.
- A simple explanation about how light travels through the sky.
- The sun looks red because blue light gets scattered away.
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See also
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