In most places on Earth, the sun is guaranteed to set every evening, but not all sunsets are the same. From gases and clouds to pollution and our changing climate, discover what makes sunsets so colorful, and why protecting our skies matters.
LEARN MORE
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To learn more about this topic, start your googling with these keywords:
- Rayleigh Scattering: The scattering of light by particles much smaller than the light's wavelength, such as the gas molecules in air.
- Smog: A type of air pollution that makes the air look hazy, often brownish or yellowish. It forms when emissions from vehicles, industry and burning fuel mix with sunlight and other chemicals in the air. The word blends “smoke” and “fog.”
- Wavelength: The distance between one peak of a wave and the next. For light, wavelength sets the color we see: shorter wavelengths look violet or blue, and longer wavelengths look red.
If you liked this week’s video, you might also like:
- Cloud Painting Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5C0p6kj0S_E
(We used the wonderful brush pack from @DevinElleKurtzArt to illustrate clouds in this video)
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CREDITS
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Cameron Duke | Script Writer and Narrator
Ever Salazar | Illustration, Video Editing, Animation & Director
Nathaniel Schroeder | Music
MinuteEarth is produced by Neptune Studios LLC
https://neptunestudios.info
OUR STAFF
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Lizah van der Aart • Sarah Berman • Cameron Duke
Arcadi Garcia i Rius • David Goldenberg • Melissa Hayes
Henry Reich • Ever Salazar • Leonardo Souza • Kate Yoshida
OTHER CREDITS
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Cloud Brush Pack by Devin Elle Kurtz
https://tamberella.gumroad.com/l/clouds
Sunset by Patrick Gillespie (CC-BY 4.0)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/40423570@N07/41984907060
Sunset by Jussi Pölkki (CC-BY 2.0)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/planetkeksi/11698987276
Sunset by Kylir Horton (CC-BY 2.0)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kylir/8250463514
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REFERENCES
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Chew, W. C. (2019). Lecture 34: Rayleigh scattering, Mie scattering [Lecture notes, ECE 604: Electromagnetic Field Theory]. Purdue University. https://engineering.purdue.edu/wcchew/ece604f19/Lecture%20Notes/Lect34.pdf
Corfidi, S. F. (2024). The science of sunsets [Manuscript]. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342329728_The_Science_of_Sunsets
Laneve, G., Colonna, R., & Tramutoli, V. (n.d.). [PP1-6-3] Mie scattering in the Earth’s atmosphere. In Living Textbook. ITC, University of Twente. https://ltb.itc.utwente.nl/541/concept/98396
Martin, S. (n.d.). Why sunsets are so colorful from the air. Boldmethod. https://www.boldmethod.com/learn-to-fly/weather/why-sunsets-have-color/
Moreland, J. (2017, June 12). The science of sunsets. Mount Washington Observatory. https://mountwashington.org/the-science-of-sunsets/
National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service. (2025, August 31). Types of clouds. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/about/k-12-education/atmosphere/types-of-clouds