What Causes the Sky to Change Colors at Sunrise and Sunset?

The sky changes colors because the sunlight has to travel farther through the air when the sun is low. Imagine you're holding a flashlight in a foggy room, when you shine it straight ahead, it looks white, but if you angle it to the side, the light turns red or orange. That's like what happens with the sun at sunrise and sunset.

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Examples

  1. The sky turns bright pink at dawn, just like when you're holding a flashlight in foggy air.
  2. A red sun setting over the ocean looks like it's painting the water with fire.
  3. You see a golden glow on your face during sunset because the light has traveled farther through the air.

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Categories: Science · optics· light· atmosphere· sunrise· sunset