Rather than watch some junk on TV, take the time one evening to go outside and watch the sun set, as the day ends. Sunsets occur when light travels through invisible waves from the sun (so in fact, there are no colours, just what appear to colours to us, due to different wavelengths).
At the end of each day, the sun is slow in the sky and so the blue light is scattered, meaning we see red and orange hues. It doesn’t really matter about the science, it’s just beautiful to see the sky light up in burnt orange and fiery red hues. In fact, the sun has already set by the time you ‘see it’, you are just seeing the light bending over to glimpse it, rather than staring at the sun direct (which you should never do, by the way).
is a red sky at night a good sign for next day?
And what about the oft-quoted rhyme that ‘red sky at night, shepherd’s delight, red sky in the morning, shepherd’s warning’. Is there truth in it? Yes, there is! A pure red sunset means the air in the west is clear, and that usually bodes well for farmers (and everyone else) for the following morning. Red sky the next morning however means low-pressure weather is coming (stormy weather!)
One quote that is not so true is that cows are lying down, because they think it’s going to rain. The Met Office says there is no truth to this one at all – it’s likely that the cows are just having a rest!
are sunsets more colourful at certain times?
Yes. In autumn and winter, the air has less humidity, and a clearer air gives brighter colours as less colours are scattered in this ‘prism’ effect. Also clouds that are higher produce brighter sunsets than clouds that are lower in the sky.
Unfortunately, one sad fact about the most stunning sunsets these days, is that many are even brighter than they were before, due to modern day pollutants. Adding smoke to the natural sunset colours makes them even more vivid, a colour appreciation we could do without.
where are England’s most beautiful sunsets?
Likely the tourist guides have not reached all the hidden beautiful sunsets. But some of the most dramatic places to see beautiful sunsets are Sandbanks (Dorset – where all the millionaires live), Seven Sisters (cliffs in East Sussex) and Ness Point (the first place to see the sun rise – in Suffolk).
Never waste any amount of time doing anything important, when there is a sunset outside that you could be sitting under. C JoyBell C
You want proof there’s a God? Look outside, watch a sunset. Frank E Peretti
