Why is Sunset Red?

Sunset View

SCIENCE BEHIND SUNSET APPEARING RED

Visible Light:

White light consists of many different colors instead of one color. These are violet, indigo,blue green, yellow, orange and red. (VIBGYOR). All of these lights have

different wavelengths falling in visible spectrum (portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to the human eye). A typical human eye will respond to wavelengths from about 390 to 700 nm. with corresponding frequencies 430–770 Hz. Thus we see them.

light's dispersion by prism

Reason:

The main factor involved in determining a sunset’s color is the Earth’s atmosphere. The atmosphere is made up mostly of gases as well as some other molecules and particles.


When the sunlight consisting of white light falls then it suffers deflections due to hindrance caused by earths atmosphere. The amount of deflection and scattering caused is inversely proportional to its wavelength and because red light has the longest wavelength it is least scattered.

light's dispersion upon entering the earth's atmosphere

At the end of the day the sun is not directly on top and is just below the horizon so light has to cover more atmosphere than before and it suffers multiple scattering until the rest of the colors fades off or are scattered and only red color (with largest wavelength) is observed


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