Kind: captions
Language: en
some days as the Sun starts to set the
sky lights up with a beautiful display
of colors
deep Reds vibrant oranges
intense Coral pinks
cotton candy Skies as if it were on fire
the sun emits all the colors of the
rainbow
we see that combination as white
so from space the Sun appears White
but here on Earth we often see the Sun
as yellow when it's high in the sky
because of the Earth's atmosphere
visible light travels in electromagnetic
waves of varying lengths
we see these waves as the colors of the
rainbow
Violet and blue are the shortest
wavelengths we see
red and orange the longest
these wavelengths measure from point
zero zero zero zero zero seven meters
to about
.00038 meters
but the gas molecules in our atmosphere
are even smaller
when light enters the atmosphere it gets
scattered by gas molecules like oxygen
and nitrogen in the air
all of the colors are scattered
but because blue wavelengths are the
shortest they're scattered more
this is the main reason why we see a
blue sky as opposed to a green or even
yellow sky
so then why are sunsets shades of red
and orange
during a sunset
light from the sun needs to travel
further through our atmosphere
that means more blue wavelengths are
filtered out
allowing the longer red and orange
wavelengths to peer through
give us the vibrant sunsets we're used
to
everyone in the same latitude
is actually seeing the same rays of
light
it just appears as different colors as
light travels away from the Sun
and because of atmospheric scattering
let's say a ray of sunlight is coming
towards Earth
as it enters Earth's atmosphere
oxygen and nitrogen cause the blue
wavelengths to scatter to produce a
sunny afternoon the sky in San Francisco
but the red and orange wavelengths
continue to travel through the
atmosphere
and Scatter to produce a stunning sunset
in Boston
contrary to popular belief
dust and pollution are not responsible
for more colorful sunsets
if that were true then cities like New
York and Los Angeles would be applauded
for their sunsets
dust and pollution are helpful to some
extent
but most of the sunlight is scattering
at Mid and upper levels of the
atmosphere
so then why are some sunsets brighter
than others
it turns out temperature has a lot to do
with it
cold air generally contains less water
vapor which clings to particles like
dust and pollen
making them swell up and block sunlight
cold air typically comes from the Arctic
where there are fewer trees and
Industrial activities to produce
particles
also block light
so winter sunsets are more vibrant
not only because of less humidity
but also because there are fewer
particles in the air
sunsets look different day to day
because of the types of clouds in the
sky
if it's cloudy and overcast you're not
going to see much of a colorful display
during the sunset from the ground
but let's say you hop on a plane and fly
Above the Clouds
suddenly you're greeted by a sea of Reds
pinks and oranges
you've just crossed the boundary layer
it's the atmospheric layer where we all
live
and it traps larger particles like dust
and pollution
but not all clouds block light coming
from a sunset
some clouds like the wispy and feathery
cirrus clouds
are high enough to reflect the last red
orange rays of a Setting Sun
back to the ground
weather patterns can also influence the
sunset
the contiguous United States is
underneath a jet stream
a band of air
flows from west to east in the mid and
upper levels of the atmosphere
weather systems like rain showers or
blizzards are disturbances to that jet
stream
where the disturbance starts on the
Eastern side
the air cools and expands
over time leading to cloud formations
and worsening weather conditions
meanwhile on the western side
the air clears and dries
this is what Fosters visually vibrant
Sunset After the Storm
and this is the origin of the adage
red sky at night
Sailor's Delight
red sky in the morning
sailor take warning
while a sunset may not seem like
anything special
a plethora of physical elements had to
come together in just the right way
for you to Bear witness to this colorful
display