Sunsets

Today we learned about the nature of a star...WOW! From a white dwarf to a super giant, stars are similar but very, very different. There are many directions I could go with this post but I'll focus on wavelengths.

 

Stars emit all types of electromagnetic waves. They range from intense gamma rays to low-power radio waves. In this same way, our sun also emits visible light. More intense waves of light are violet and the less intense waves are on the red side of the spectrum. 

As it turns out, this difference in the wavelengths of colors results in some amazing sunsets and sunrises. In the same way that X-rays can penetrate our skin but radio waves are harmless; some wavelengths of color get through our atmosphere better than other colors. Here's an illustration I drew:

When the sun is setting, light has to travel through more atmosphere than when it is overhead. Here are two pictures from my cross walk across America:

The dustier and thicker the atmosphere, the more electromagnetic waves are filtered out. Have you ever seen a sunset that was blue or purple like these?