Why are sunsets red?

Answer 1

Sunsets get their color from the variation of wavelengths in the light spectrum. The RED light-waves are longer and they travel through water molecules in the air, where as the BLUE end of the spectrum is much shorter and those wavelengths are refracted, reflected, and generally scattered much more by water molecules in the air. Ergo, the Reds at sunset are the light-waves that are able to travel the farthest (all the way from the sun to your eyes) and the blues have been scattered up to make the beautiful blue sky in towns that have full daylight while you are having sunset.

Answer 2

This is an effect of Rayleigh scattering. When photons (light) crosses the atmosphere, some of the photons will be absorbed by gas molecules. This puts the molecule in an excited state, and it is then free to drop down to ground state again and release the energy in the form of another photon.

To excite the molecule, you must do so with a photon at or near it's resonant frequency. It so happens that the resonant frequency of the gas molecules in the atmosphere is in the purple-blue part of the visible spectrum. This means that it will absorb and scatter much of the blue light contained in the sun's rays, green to a lesser degree, yellow to a lesser degree and red to a lesser still degree. This is why the sky is blue; some of the blue light coming from the sun is scattered laterally by the gas molecules in the atmosphere. We see the blue light coming at us from all directions in the sky.

Sunsets are reddish because the sun is not directly overhead and it's rays must cross through much more atmosphere than the midday sun. After having crossed so much air, most of the blue light is scattered out, as well as most of the green. This leaves the red, yellow and orange colors free to paint their pictures of fiery sunsets and hazy moons.

Answer 3

Reflection from solid particles in the air. After the eruption of Mount St. Helen the sunsets were very red for over a year afterwards.

Answer 4

The red hues of the sky at sunset and sunrise are caused by the Rayleigh scattering of blue light by statistical fluctuations in the density of Earth's atmosphere. This also causes the blue diffuse sky radiation. Relatively little red light is scattered in this way, and so the sky often takes on shades of red, orange and yellow.

Answer 5

Sunlight is bent and separated like a prism by the atmosphere. So it goes from yellow thru red to violet as the angle changes. I'm a photographer too so I appreciate this very much.

Answer 6

it's to do with the angle at which the sunlight hits the atmosphere and is reflected by airbornce particles like sunrise

Answer 7

It will be red because sun will be near horizon and they are dust and it become red.

Answer 8

Polution...

Answer 9

yo mama

Answer 10

light refractions