Why are sunsets orange?
At sunset, sunlight has to travel through lots and lots of air to reach you.
Pip’s answer
- At sunset, sunlight has to travel through lots and lots of air to reach you.
- On that long trip, the blue light bounces away, boing!
- Orange and red light make it all the way to your eyes, wow-ee!
For grown-ups
When the sun is low, its light travels through far more atmosphere to reach us. Along that long path most of the blue light is scattered out of the beam, so mainly the longer red, orange and yellow wavelengths arrive. Dust, smoke and water droplets in the air can make sunsets even more vivid.
Ask your child: What colors can you spot in tonight's sunset?
More questions kids ask
- 🌙Why does it get dark at night?
- 🌤️Why is the sky blue?
- 🌓Why does the moon change shape?
- 🌈Why are there rainbows?
- ❄️Why is it cold in winter?
- 🌧️Why does it rain?
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