Earth's Atmosphere: As sunlight travels through the Earth's atmosphere, it encounters various particles, including dust, water droplets, and molecules. These particles scatter and absorb a portion of the light, causing the sun to appear dimmer. The effect is more pronounced during sunrise and sunset when the sunlight has to travel a longer distance through the atmosphere.
Rayleigh Scattering: This is the scattering of light by particles that are smaller than the wavelength of light. Blue light (shorter wavelength) is scattered more effectively by these particles compared to other colors. This is why the sky appears blue during the day. At sunrise and sunset, sunlight has to pass through more of the atmosphere, resulting in more blue light being scattered away from our eyes. This leaves the remaining reddish-orange hues to dominate, giving the sun its warm appearance.
Dust and Pollution: In urban areas or regions with high pollution levels, dust and tiny particles accumulate in the atmosphere. These particles further contribute to the scattering of sunlight, reducing the sun's brightness.
So, the combination of atmospheric scattering, absorption, and the presence of dust and pollution causes the sun to appear less bright in the early morning. As the sun rises higher in the sky, the light has a shorter distance to travel through the atmosphere, resulting in increased brightness.
