What makes sunsets so colorful?

[aphex]

Late summer, the sunsets in Florida always are georgous (when its not raining of course)

Someone once told me its from pollution? Is that true?

 

[spidey07]

No. Light and refaction/reflection make colors.

 

[Stumps]

the sun shining out of my ass

 

[artikk]

Originally posted by: spidey07
No. Light and refaction/reflection make colors.

and the light is reflected from the pollution particles

 

[mobobuff]

Gases in the atmosphere ionosphere stratosphere etc. When the sun is setting the light is traveling through a lot of those gases, gases that absorb certain colors on the visible spectrum and reflect others.

 

[Lola]

there is an easy experiment that can be done...
it is from the particles in the air.

all you have to do is take a baby food jar and put some water in it. close the jar and put it in a dark room and shine a flash light through it.
its clear... the light is the same (whitish) color.

now put a few teaspoons of milk in the water and shake. then shine the light through it
It will become a more red/pink/orange color. Its just the same as a sunset. As night approaches, tons more particles are in the air than in the morning.
thats what i was told

 

[Whitecloak]

raleigh effect.

 

[aphex]

example from the other night, sarasota bay

 

[Atomicus]

Originally posted by: whitecloak
raleigh effect.

so basically its just scatter

 

[tm37]

I hear it's the fvcking smog that make the sunsets so fvcking beutiful

 

[LongCoolMother]

i would guess light refraction+diffraction from the atmosphere.

 

[Valkerie]

You damn kids need some help.

http://www.physics.auburn.edu/~demo/optics/6f/6f40_10.htm
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/dec96/851822711.Ph.r.html
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/phy99/phy99327.htm
http://www.twocw.net/mit/NR/rdonlyres/P...10F-99A3EADEF388/0/ps1slns.pdf#search='sunset%20physics'

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Originally posted by: russianpower

Originally posted by: spidey07
No. Light and refaction/reflection make colors.

and the light is reflected from the pollution particles

It has nothing to do with polution.

 

[rahvin]

Originally posted by: Nik
It has nothing to do with polution.

Yea, Nick knows all about it, he works in tech support and is obviously an expert!

The one thing I remember is the sunsets after Mt. St. Helens (the first time) they were amazing, lots of reds and orange, and the moon was almost a red color at night.

 

[Contagious]

Originally posted by: aphex
What makes sunsets so colorful?

Colors.

Duh.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: rahvin

Originally posted by: Nik
It has nothing to do with polution.

Yea, Nick knows all about it, he works in tech support and is obviously an expert!

The one thing I remember is the sunsets after Mt. St. Helens (the first time) they were amazing, lots of reds and orange, and the moon was almost a red color at night.

*cough*
refraction
*cough*
*wavelength*
*cough*