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The beauty of a sunset can take your breath away. The reds, pinks, oranges, and yellows can be stunning, but why don’t we see this every night?
Sunset is the time of day when the sun dips below the horizon. As this happens, the light from the sun travels a farther distance. During this journey, the different wavelengths or light are scattered by water and dust in the atmosphere.
The shorter wavelengths, like blue and violet, typically don’t make it through. And what we are left seeing is the longer wavelengths, like red and yellow. The more dust and water found in the atmosphere, the more the red and yellow wavelengths are reflected and the result is a more beautiful sunset!
Fun Fact – In some places the sunset is called the sundown.
Related Activity
- Head outside and watch the sunset!