Colors Of A Sunset

Have you ever wondered why sunsets are so colorful? Sometimes they have many different colors and it seems every sunset is a little different. Look at these two sunset puzzles. They look vastly different. Why do you think this is? Look how the sunset puzzle on the right has brighter red and orange colors. The intense red and orange of the sky at sunset are mainly caused by the scattering of sunlight by dust particles, soot particles, other solid aerosols, and liquid aerosols in the Earth's atmosphere. When there are no particulates in the troposphere, such as after a big rain storm, then the sunlight is scattered by air molecules and transparent gases which leads to a less colorful sunset. Sunset colors are typically more brilliant and more intense than sunrise colors, since there are generally more particles and aerosols in the evening air than in the morning air. Nighttime air is usually cooler and less windy, which allows dust and soot particles to settle out of the atmosphere. Sunrise color intensities can however exceed sunset's intensities when there are nighttime fires, volcanic eruptions or emissions, or dust storms to the east of the viewer.