We a half way through these sunset pictures so here is a little science lesson into why sunsets are red. The red color in the sky at sunset, and sunrise is due to an effect called Rayleigh scattering. There is a similar form of scattering called Mie scattering which is responsible for the white color of clouds.
Particles in our atmosphere that are approximately the same size as the wavelength of visible light cause the white light from the sun to scatter 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 day time, 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 read.
Well I think that concludes our science lesson for today! Now lets take a look at 20 more beautiful sunset pictures from around the world...
I hope you enjoyed these cool sunset pictures. The photos used in this collection are believed to be sourced from the public domain. If however, you spot a picture that is in violation of copyright law, please contact the webmaster who will remove the picture.
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