We’ve seen some beautiful sunsets so far this year. But why are some sunsets more colorful than others?
First, it's about understanding what you're seeing. Light from the sun is actually white consisting of different colors of differing wavelengths. Think of the colors of a rainbow (ROYGBV - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet). The color blue has a smaller wavelength than orange and red.
When the sun sets, it is low in the sky and light has to travel through more of the atmosphere. Blue light scatters more than other wavelengths, meaning the light bounces off of stuff in the air and gets sent off in different directions, and is scattered even more so when the sun is closer to the horizon. This means there is (relatively) more orange and red light for us to see.
Things that can enhance the colors of the sunset include smoke particles, dust, smog, and basically any increased number of tiny aerosols in the upper levels of the atmosphere.
This enhances the scattering effect and allows for more yellow, orange, and red to reach out eyes leading to better sunsets.
