30/01/2023
BEAUTIFUL ILLUSION
Due to the low angle of the Sun relative to the observer at sunset, light passes through more of Earth’s atmosphere than when it is overhead. The Sun’s light is subject to both refractive and scattering effects. Refraction can make the bottom part of the Sun, which is near or even below the horizon, appear higher than it actually is. This can give the Sun a distorted appearance that resembles an oval more than a sphere.
Near the horizon, scattering of shorter wavelengths of light occurs as it passes through the atmosphere. This is why the blue and green components of light from the Sun drop off significantly for an observer at sunrise or sunset. Yellow, orange, and red wavelengths are longer and less affected by atmospheric molecules, which is whymore light in those wavelengths reaches us, making us perceive sunsets as having golden or reddish colors.
When conditions are right it is possible to observe a flash of green light at the end of the sunset. This is due to refraction. Usually a green fringe can be observed at the top edge of the Sun; however, a green flash is rarer to observe. The green flash appears just above the rim of the Sun for one or two seconds.
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