Why does the sun look orange when it sets?

Question

During the day it looks white, but when it's about to set, it turns orange. Why?

Answer 1

As the sun sets or rises you're looking at it through much more of Earth's atmosphere than when it's higher in the sky. Earth's atmosphere is full of dust, gas and all kinds of pollutants that distorts the sun's shape and color.

Answer 2

The sunlight passes through more atmosphere, and a lot of that atmosphere has dust and smoke and other particles in it. Those particles "scatter" the red end of the light spectrum to 'colour' the sun and the sky red (same thing happens in the morning, just not as brilliant because the night air is usually cleaner).

Answer 3

Don't you remember when the Sun exploded a couple of years ago? So All of the countries with space progams put this giant Lightbulb In the sky and when they dim it at night it gets this orange color and all world decided not to tell the dumber people because we feared a world wide panic if they found out and ...ooops I guess I said too much now.

Answer 4

Dust etc in the atmosphere absorb the shorter wavelengths but the red gets through.
When you look straight up you are looking through about 8 miles of clear air when you see it on the horizon you are looking at it through about 22 miles of dirtier air and another 8 miles of clearer air about 30 miles all told.

Answer 5

the overlapping of colors with pollutants
the scattering particles (usually dust) give the sun the appearance of becoming red.
the closer the sun gets to earth, the more distorted it becomes.

depending on the area, you see more or less of this.

Answer 6

Because the light you are seeing is travelling near the earth.
It is refracted through the dust in the earth's atmosphere.

Answer 7

refraction

Answer 8

Because you are bananas ; )