When sunlight travels through the atmosphere, it collides with gas
molecules. These molecules scatter the light. The shorter the wavelength
of light, the more it is scattered by the atmosphere. Because it has a
shorter wavelength than the other colors, blue light is scattered
more, ten times more than red light, for instance. That is why the sky
is blue.
Why does the setting sun look reddish orange? When the sun is on the horizon, its light takes a longer path through the atmosphere to reach your eyes than when the sun is directly overhead. By the time the light of the setting sun reaches your eyes, most of the blue light has been scattered out. The light you finally see is reddish orange, the color of white light minus blue.
Why does the setting sun look reddish orange? When the sun is on the horizon, its light takes a longer path through the atmosphere to reach your eyes than when the sun is directly overhead. By the time the light of the setting sun reaches your eyes, most of the blue light has been scattered out. The light you finally see is reddish orange, the color of white light minus blue.
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