#ORANGE SPACE PHENOMENA FULL#

Time of year is also a factor in fantastical sunsets. The blue light is scattered more than the other wavelengths because it travels in shorter, smaller waves, NASA reports. These same principles also explain why the sky is blue during the day. The shorter wavelengths, like blue, aren't visible because they are broken up.

We see the red color because it has the longest wavelength in the spectrum.

#ORANGE SPACE PHENOMENA FULL#

When the sky is the desirable bright red we so love in sunsets, it's an indication the atmosphere is full of moisture and dust particles. When sunlight passes through more atmosphere, there are more particles to scatter the light. It also represents the visible light spectrum, with violet having the shortest wavelength and red having the longest, according to NASA.Īt sunrise and sunset, the sun is low on the horizon, and the rays of sunlight pass through more air in the atmosphere than they do when the sun is higher in the sky. The acronym ROYGBIV refers to the colors of the rainbow in order from top to bottom: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. The color we see is determined by the different wavelengths of light, plus the size of the particles in the atmosphere. Scattering occurs when light rays hit particles in the air, changing the direction of the light. The colors we see - or don't see - in a sunset are the results of a scientific phenomenon called light scattering, according to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. And when it comes to color, the brighter the better.

Generally, what's considered a magnificent sunset is a particularly colorful one, with hues of red, orange and pink streaked across the evening sky. But why are some sunsets so extra-special? Red sky at night is a sailor's delight, and it also makes for some pretty spectacular sunsets.

Orange space phenomena