Why do clouds appear white or blue during the day but orange or red during sunrise and sunset?

Question

I have always been in love with the color of the skies. How come we see these beautiful hues of color during sunrise or sunset? Is there another reason aside from the sun reflecting its light?

In: Other

Answer 1

Great question! Clouds look white or blue during the day because they scatter sunlight, which is white. During sunrise and sunset, the light has to pass through more atmosphere, scattering shorter blue wavelengths and letting the longer red and orange wavelengths through, creating those beautiful hues. The effect is called Rayleigh scattering.