___ of the light phenomena contributes significantly to the reddish appearance of the sun at sunrise or sunset.
The red colour in the sky at sunset (and sunrise) is due to an effect called Rayleigh scattering.
There are particles in our atmosphere that are approximately the same size as the wavelength of visible light. These particles scatter white light from the sun and split into individual components. Oxygen and Nitrogen (the main components of our atmosphere) scatter violet and blue light due to their small size. This is why the sky appears to be blue in the daytime, especially at midday when the Sun is closest to us.
During sunrise and sunset the distance that the light has to travel from the Sun to an observer is at its greatest. This means the a large amount of blue and violet light has been scattered so the light that is received by an observer is mostly of a longer wavelength and therefore appears to be red.
The red colour in the sky at sunset (and sunrise) is due to an effect called Rayleigh scattering.
There are particles in our atmosphere that are approximately the same size as the wavelength of visible light. These particles scatter white light from the sun and split into individual components. Oxygen and Nitrogen (the main components of our atmosphere) scatter violet and blue light due to their small size. This is why the sky appears to be blue in the daytime, especially at midday when the Sun is closest to us.
During sunrise and sunset the distance that the light has to travel from the Sun to an observer is at its greatest. This means the a large amount of blue and violet light has been scattered so the light that is received by an observer is mostly of a longer wavelength and therefore appears to be red.
