What is the role of atmospheric refraction in a sunset?

AI Thread Summary
Atmospheric refraction plays a significant role in the appearance of sunsets, as it causes the light from the sun to bend when passing through layers of air with varying densities. Snell's law is relevant for calculating the angles of refraction, but a properly labeled ray diagram is essential for visualizing the phenomenon. The atmosphere's index of refraction changes with altitude, affecting how we perceive the sun's position and colors during sunset. The discussion highlights the importance of accurately depicting the ray diagram and considering the dispersion of light. Understanding these concepts is crucial for solving related physics problems effectively.
cris9288
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Homework Statement


Explain, with the relevant equations and a clearly labeled figure, what is actually happening as you view a sunset. Make sure to include a clearly labeled ray diagram for full credit.


Homework Equations



n1sin(θ1) = n2sinθ2

1/f = 1/o + 1/i

The Attempt at a Solution


This was a midterm problem that I got wrong. We are having an extra credit quiz tomorrow and this is the only problem I don't have solved.

My attempted solution involved using snells law, in both equation and diagram form. However I was given no credit as I had the "wrong approach". I'm guessing I should be using a ray diagram, but I'm unsure how to set up the f and i variables. Since the sun is very far away from the sun, I can set o in my lens equation to infinity. This would make the focal length equal to the image distance, but this really doesn't make any sense to me. Any help is appreciated, thanks.
 
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welcome to pf!

hi cris9288! welcome to pf! :smile:
cris9288 said:
Explain, with the relevant equations and a clearly labeled figure, what is actually happening as you view a sunset. Make sure to include a clearly labeled ray diagram for full credit.
…
My attempted solution involved using snells law, in both equation and diagram form.

i suspect your diagram was bad

can you show us (or describe) your diagram?

(and you don't seem to be mentioning colour)
 
Thing is, the atmosphere represents a medium with continuously varying index of refraction, both as a function of atmospheric density and dispersion (n varies with f).
 

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