Science question of the day...

[Neil]

Why do you get glorious red sunsets some days, but seemingly never get a glorious red sunrise?

[_liam_]

i think it *might* be to do with the higher water levels in the low atmosphere at the start of the day, but i'm not sure, i flunked my science GCSES

[GRMonLI]

Why do you get glorious red sunsets some days, but seemingly never get a glorious red sunrise? I have seen many a red sunrise.....maybe its an American thing. Have you ever heard the saying...."Red sky at night, sailors delight, red sky at morning, sailor take warning"?

[_liam_]

yeah except over here it's "shepherd's warning". weird! maybe shepherds and sailors are in the same boat (arf arf).

[GRMonLI]

yeah except over here it's "shepherd's warning". weird! maybe shepherds and sailors are in the same boat (arf arf). Wouldnt that be "BAAA BAAA"????

[Eyebiter]

More particles in the air like pollution or dust, the better the red sunset. If it has recently rained the sunset won't be as red (fewer particles to refract long light waves). ----------------- 'Red sky' proverb explained Before the advent of modern meteorology, explorers and settlers of North America developed rules of thumb for the weather based on common observations. One of the most famous – and sometimes true – is: Red sky by morning, sailor take warning. Red sky at night, sailor's delight. The rhyme works in most of the United States where storms generally move from west to east. The "red", which refers to the sky overhead, is caused by the sunlight reflecting off clouds. For a red sky in the morning, the eastern horizon has to be clear while clouds are moving in from the west. Since most storms come from the west, a storm is probably heading your direction. For a red sky at night, clouds have to have moved away from the western horizon - heading east. With the storm moving east, clear skies are coming your way. There is an important covet to the Red sky in the morning proverb. The poem generally only applies when a storm is on the way. Red skies can be caused by non-storm clouds. Also this rhyme can't predict thunderstorms that develop in an afternoon when the morning has been clear. Source: The USA TODAY Weather Book by Jack Williams

[HLS]

Sunlight is made up of all different colors of light, each having a different wavelength. During a sunset, more red light is scattered toward you because of aresols(sp???) in the lower atmosphere, compared to the amount of blue or green light. Since, at sunset, sunlight is passing through a much longer path of the lower atmosphere than when the sun is overhead, the effect of the aerosols becomes much stronger. So, you end up seeing more red light that any of the other colors of light, and the sky appears red. Heidi

[CivilDefense]

Could be Gravitational Blue/Red shift.. or possibly the doppler effect. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_shift You know why geese fly in those big 'v' formations, you know why one side is always longer than the other?   more geese on that side

[coma]

I have seen many a red sunrise.....maybe its an American thing. Have you ever heard the saying...."Red sky at night, sailors delight, red sky at morning, sailor take warning"? It could be city light's/Pollution from your view from the island.

[GRMonLI]

It could be city light's/Pollution from your view from the island. Weird theory....except the sun rises in the East...and the city is West of me. Kind of hard to see a sunrise over a city where the sun sets. Kind of blows your theory huh?

[coma]

Weird theory....except the sun rises in the East...and the city is West of me. Kind of hard to see a sunrise over a city where the sun sets. Kind of blows your theory huh?[/SIZE] Didn't think of that. It was just a thought. I grew up In Suffolk so It's not like I don't know the geography. Oh my God, my wierd theory is blown and I'm utterly shattered Dawn and Dusk in the city gets some wierd colors, purples and burgandy, green and yellows.

[LoSTBoY]

Why do you get glorious red sunsets some days, but seemingly never get a glorious red sunrise? Because Allah is angry before he sleeps and is happy when he rises. Allah be praised! /heavy sarcasm mode off Honestly...from general observation it might be the movement from light to dark rather than dark to light which makes the effect, bugger me if I know why.