Here in Michigan, we always experience beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Cotton candy-colored sunsets are my favorite, and I’m sure you have yours, too. Have you ever wondered why you sometimes see certain colors and not others? Well, there’s a scientific reason for it.
Let’s get back to basics. Why is the sky blue on a sunny day? That’s how sunlight reaches the earth. That light is actually made up of different colors, and the energy travels in waves.
If you use a crystal prism to shine sunlight onto it, you will see the separation of the colors of the rainbow. Our eyes can see red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. visible light spectrum.
The longest wavelengths appear red, and as the wavelengths become more and more unstable, we see blue or violet colors. When light enters Earth’s atmosphere, it is scattered more by the gases in the atmosphere. Our atmosphere primarily scatters blue wavelengths, which is why we see it on clear days. Other wavelengths are just not scattered and are still present, so they appear white.
However, when there is a rainbow, you see other colors because the raindrops act like little prisms that bend the light. Even clouds can give you hints of different colors as the sun rises and sets. This is also because clouds are made up of tiny water droplets and ice crystals, which differentiate colors.
When it comes to sunrise and sunset, the lower the sun is, the more its rays pass through the Earth’s atmosphere. The choppy wavelengths of blue tend to be less scattered, while warmer colors are more visible.
But there are other factors that can cause the entire sky to turn red, including large dust particles, pollution, wildfire smoke, water vapor, and overall low ozone. NASA has satellites that detect aerosols (hazardous pollutants) and provide forecasters with air quality reports for specific regions. Even if you see a dark, eerie sky with shades of green and gray reminiscent of a storm.
NEXT Weather Meteorologist Kylee Miller says, “The different colors of the sky are important to us in unique ways. We appreciate it if you send us your weather photos, so keep sending them to our next weather team.” states.