Sunsets - A breathtaking image in the sky
Sunsets are the time of day when then sun settles down the horizon in the west. The red hues that you can see in the sky when they occur are caused by the Rayleigh scattering of blue lights in the Earth’s atmosphere. This also causes what is called the blue diffuse sky radiation. There is very little red light that is scattered in this kind of way so the sky often takes on shades of different colors such as red, orange and yellow. The clouds also play a big part in the colors of sunsets as do other things such as smoke and smog which happen due to human activities. Also, ash from volcanic eruptions can play a part in the color of them. Volcanic eruptions in recent years such as the ones in Mount Pinatubo in 1991 and in Krakatoa in 1883 have been that large that they have produced stunningly magnificent sunsets all over the world. Amazing photos have proven this with a beautiful image of them!
Sunsets often have more bright colors than do sunrises. The shades of red and orange are much more vibrant. This is because the atmosphere responds in many different ways to the sun’s exposure during the daylight hours. Specifically, the lower atmosphere seems to have more dust at the end of the day as compared to how much dust is there at the beginning of the day. During the daylight hours, the sun eats the Earth’s surface which lowers the relative humidity and increases the wind speed and turbulence. This is what helps to lift the dust into the air. More important though, the differences between sunsets and sunrises really mostly depends on the locations of which they are being viewed. An example of this would be sunsets that are on a coastline which is facing the west would occur over the water while the sunrises would occur over land. Just as a coastline which is facing the east. They would occur over land while the sunrises would occur high over the top of the ocean.
The timing of sunsets varies with what time of year it is and the latitude at which the location is of which it is being viewed. Changes in the timing of sunsets are driven by the Earth axial tilt. For example, in the Northern Hemisphere, the earliest ones are in early December. The latest ones are in early July. This same phenomenon occurs in the Southern Hemisphere as well.
Sunsets are often associated with the summer and if you’re lucky, you can see some really spectacular ones from home and have a great photo opportunity. Don’t miss the beauty of a breathtaking sunset!