Sunrises and Sunsets

[Bebe]

Why is the sky fiery colors at sunrise and sunset?

[Phantaxus]

its to do with dust in the atomosphere bending the wavelength of light and so changing its colour. When the sun is low on the horizon there is more atomsphere for the lightwaves to travel through.

[bluedolphin]

I think smog and dirt particles in the athmosphere also plays a part.

[bernardo]

White light (like sunlight) is made up of different colours - from blue to red (at the opposite ends of the spectrum(like a rainbow)). Light gets bent slightly according to what it's going through (like water, glass, air etc.) but blue gets bent more than red. So when you see the sun at sunset, it is so close to the edge of the horizon that the light has to go through much more of the atmosphere than normal, so the blue gets bent out of the way and only the red is strong enough to reach you. Dust is not much to do with it. btw, the scattering of the blue light in this way is partly why the sky is blue.

[thekraut]

Although you guys are right about the additional atmosphere being the crucial point, its not the bending of the lightwaves. Its the fact that high energetic "blue" photons (long waves) are absorbed by the dust and smog near the ground while red light goes right through. so actually dust plays a role in it.

[humming bird]

By the way that's when it IS..recall the old saying (or are you all too young heheheheh) Red in the morning Sailor's warning Red in the night sailor's delight. Put that in your infernal colour temperature" and "angle of rays incidence" machines and smoke it!!" Cheers