2007-02-22 10:08:32 · 5 answers · asked by emad a 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
More of the sun's blue or cooler light is scattered when viewed through more atmosphere, which is what happens during sunrise and sunset. What's left is a more yellow sun. Rayleigh scattering does not involve absorption or emission spectra of the chemical makeup of the atmosphere.
While it's true that sunlight "bends" through atmospheric refraction, it results in a slight displacement of the visible sun (the "real sun" really being slightly below it), but this non-achromaticity of the visible sun is barely noticeable. If it were more obvious, the sun would be in a spectacular rainbow of colors in a vertical smear, but we don't see that.
2007-02-22 10:16:00 · answer #1 · answered by Scythian1950 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you think about a globe and imagine a slightly larger diameter globe around it representing the earth's atmosphere (lets say about cm.) you will notice that if the sun is directly ahead of you then the sunlight is coming through cm. of air molecules. Now as the sun sets or rises you are looking at it through several cm. of air molecules and light must travel through several more times of atmosphere which, for one, makes it easier to stare at and changes the color. Also the more pollution and debris in the air the more colors in the sunset and thus the more beautiful it appears.
2007-02-22 11:57:38 · answer #2 · answered by james63 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because the two positions let us see the tangential rays to the earth's atmosphere and therefore more deflection is produced as added to ray deviation,which means that we see the sun at a vertual position. Also the color absorption od sun rays depends on the angle of incidence....During the day sun is more direct to earth and has an angle near to 90 degrees,with less refraction.
2007-02-22 10:55:57 · answer #3 · answered by seraj4 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because of the angle of the light. As the sun rises and sets it is shining through more of the atmosphere at a more acute angle, and the light you are seeing is more particles in the air than when the sun is overhead. Pollution makes the sky extra red.
2007-02-22 10:16:46 · answer #4 · answered by Year of the Monkey 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All the gunk in the atmosphere bends (refracts) the light waves coming toward you. The longer waves are red then orange then...yellow.
P.S.: The moon, at first, appears huge at 5:00 A.M. Then, when up in mid sky most would swear it "shrinks". This is an optical illusion, derived from having a point of reference when it is close to the horizen v.s. no reference when way up, all by its lonesome.
2007-02-22 10:20:58 · answer #5 · answered by LELAND 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋