Why is the sky around the sun sometimes redish, pinkish, and orangy during sunset & sunrise?
Asked by
flo (
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September 7th, 2017
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Refraction from thunderstorm clouds. The best sunsets are before and after thunderstorms, probably due to moisture in the air, which also makes rainbows. Smoke colors them too.
Angle of the light accounts for regular sunsets. Think of a prism.
Here are three pictures I’ve taken of sunsets. 1 2 3. They have almost every color imaginable.
Haven’t you ever seen a sunset?
You got me thinking. I didn’t see a lot of colorful sunsets in the northern latitudes, like in Scandinavia. But we have an awful lot of pinks in our sunsets in the lower latitudes. And magentas. And purples. And oranges.
1
2
3
4
I swear, none of the above are photoshopped. We don’t have smog, so it must be water particles and a little dirt in the air that refracts the sunlight as it travels through more atmosphere as it is emitted from a sharper angle toward earth.
Then there’s this:
Ray “Bones” Barboni: I’m from Miami-f*ckin’-Beach and you wanna show me the ocean, huh? And what about sun, does it ever shine around here, or is this smog around all the time?
Limo Driver With Sign: They say the smog is the reason we have such beautiful sunsets.
Ray “Bones” Barboni: That’s what they say, huh? What a bunch of f*ckin bullshit.
—Get Shorty, by Elmore Leonard
^^ nice pics both.. really amazing..)
Shoot @Espiritus_Corvus. I can’t get to your pics. I downloaded the imgr app using a throw away email account and it’s telling me I have to log into that email account to continue. Shoot. Can you email them to me? I’ll PM you my real account.
@Dutchess_III I don’t think you need an app to see my pics on imgur. Just click them open. That’s why I chose imgur, because it’s so easy and doesn’t take any load time at all, like pinterest and others.
The relation to clouds and humidity is reflected in the old saying
“Red sky at morning, sailors take warning,
Red sky at night, sailors delight.”
A red sunrise can mean that a high pressure system (good weather) has already passed, thus indicating that a storm system (low pressure) may be moving to the east. A morning sky that is a deep, fiery red can indicate that there is high water content in the atmosphere. So, rain could be on its way.
There is also the green flash. At sunset, at the shore as the sun dips below the horizon, a momentary flash of green light is evident. It is common to see in Hawaii.
Thanks @zenvelo. That explains Jonsblonde’s question from about a year ago!
Apparently not the case on this phone @Espiritus_Corvus.
I’ll sure check tomorrow on my desk top tomorrow. I know there is no problem on that.
^^I think you saw them recently on TJBM. They’re the same ones.
@Espiritus_Corvus,
I get “Unfortunately there’s nothing to see here“_ for just pics 1 and 2. I’m on a desktop.
Where and when those picures were taken by the way.
Various islands in the Lesser Antilles, south of Puerto Rico. We’re between 12°N and 18°N just above the equator, just above Venezuela in the Eastern Caribbean.
Oh! I forgot about this!
3 and 4 are just breathtaking! But, like Flo, got the same message on 1 and 2.
But those are pics 3 and 4 not 1 and 2.
It was hit and miss, but I think we finally saw all four. Breathtaking. I guess I’ll never brag about Kansas sunsets again. :(
Notice that all of his pictures have storm clouds in them @flo.
https://i.imgur.com/pVBRX6G.jpg
^^I love this one. It’s a storm rolling in at sunset.
We get a lot of storms whenever there is the least change in temperature. It’s because there is so much water in the air. The humidity is very high here. The storms are often very violent, but only last for 30 minutes to an hour, then the skies clear. They are beautiful storms. Amazing storms. Squalls.
Ok now except for number 3. Amazing pictures.
LOL. Well, I’ll tell you. It looks real pretty, but it is equatorial heat. A lot of people can’t handle this humidity. It takes some getting used to.
What do you think of the link I posted in relation to the OP?
Well, that link is the very answer you were looking for. It makes me wonder why you asked.
But I’m glad you did. I wouldn’t want to miss @Espiritus_Corvus’ sunsets.
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