# Sunrise, sunset \[Why are sunsets more colorful than sunrises?\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 14, 2014, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunrise-sunset-why-are-sunsets-more-colorful-than-sunrises/698508 "2014-09-14T23:24:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Little\_Cloud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@Little\_Cloud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Cloud)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunrise-sunset-why-are-sunsets-more-colorful-than-sunrises/698508/1 "2014-09-14T23:24:10Z")
Just watched another spectacular sunset over the Hudson River. So how come the sunrise to the east is so drab in comparison to the sunsets in the west? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunrise-sunset-why-are-sunsets-more-colorful-than-sunrises/698508/2 "2014-09-14T23:37:23Z")
My theory has always been that there is more dust and pollution in the air after a long, hot day, so sunsets are more impressive. ---
**Author:** ![MrKnowItAll](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrknowitall/32/87_2.png) [@MrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrKnowItAll)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunrise-sunset-why-are-sunsets-more-colorful-than-sunrises/698508/3 "2014-09-14T23:47:15Z")
It would be interesting to hear from someone on the west coast, to see if the difference between rising over the ocean and over land makes a difference. I live in Ohio, and the sunrises are pretty nice, but not as nice as the sunsets. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2014, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunrise-sunset-why-are-sunsets-more-colorful-than-sunrises/698508/4 "2014-09-15T00:39:40Z")
I live on the Left Coast and the Sun rises in the East here, from over the continent. It only sets on the ocean. You might want to go further west, say Hawaii, for an answer. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2014, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunrise-sunset-why-are-sunsets-more-colorful-than-sunrises/698508/5 "2014-09-15T01:02:44Z")
Sunrises are drab compared to sunsets because you usually have your eyes closed for them. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2014, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunrise-sunset-why-are-sunsets-more-colorful-than-sunrises/698508/6 "2014-09-15T03:11:30Z")
I can tell you this: I have lived in California all my life. When I was around 19 years old, Mount St. Helens, a volcano in Washington State, blew and spewed a lot of volcanic crap into the air. The sunsets that year were absolutely stupendous. Lots of flamingo pinks and apricot oranges, and writ large upon the sky. Sunsets in general have more intensity of color here. Sunrises, as seen over the Oakland Hills from where I am, involve violets and pinks; but they have a new, pristine quality of color that feels both hopeful and virginal, if that doesn’t sound too weird. The sunsets, on the other hand, have a more rich and inclusive quality and they also appear to last longer, with all the pinky/golden/orangey stuff fading into marvellous “evening blue” and “midnight blue” colors before actually going inky black. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2014, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunrise-sunset-why-are-sunsets-more-colorful-than-sunrises/698508/7 "2014-09-15T03:16:44Z")
Thread title edited to better indicate question. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2014, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunrise-sunset-why-are-sunsets-more-colorful-than-sunrises/698508/8 "2014-09-15T03:31:16Z")
Is there really any evidence, beyond a few peoples anecdotal experiences, that this is true in general, and regardless of accidents of local geography? I suspect **Chronos** has the real answer. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2014, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunrise-sunset-why-are-sunsets-more-colorful-than-sunrises/698508/9 "2014-09-15T06:51:42Z")
I’ve seen the sun rise over Lake Huron and on other occasions I’ve seen the sun set over Lake Michigan many times. Both equally beautiful, IMHO. I can’t really think of an objective, astronomical or meteorological reason, other than maybe a bit of psychology, that would make much of a difference in appearance between rising or setting; everything else being equal. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Cloud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@Little\_Cloud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Cloud)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2014, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunrise-sunset-why-are-sunsets-more-colorful-than-sunrises/698508/10 "2014-09-15T07:28:58Z")
Chronos sounds wise but I am a night shift worker and see more sunrises than sunsets. At least in NY there’s no comparison. I suspect that there is a scientific reason for this. ---
**Author:** ![nofloyd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nofloyd/32/2870_2.png) [@nofloyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nofloyd)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2014, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunrise-sunset-why-are-sunsets-more-colorful-than-sunrises/698508/11 "2014-09-15T08:46:27Z")
Beowulff’s suggestion of rising dust and pollution with air temp sounds reasonable. Recently took a colorful sunrise photo on the east coast. Nothing unusual about the weather. But even as an early bird, I’m not out looking at the sunrise as often as I’m out and about at sunset. [http://iconosquare.com/p/804902971955542358\_458801085](http://iconosquare.com/p/804902971955542358_458801085) ---
**Author:** ![Oly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oly/32/8255_2.png) [@Oly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oly)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2014, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunrise-sunset-why-are-sunsets-more-colorful-than-sunrises/698508/12 "2014-09-15T12:48:43Z")
Maybe it has to do with the amount of moisture in the air. During the night a lot of water condenses out of the air, taking with it some of the other particles (dust, etc, as mentioned). This results in fewer particles to scatter the light at sunrise. Through the warmth of the day, the process reverses. Just a guess. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2014, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunrise-sunset-why-are-sunsets-more-colorful-than-sunrises/698508/13 "2014-09-15T14:48:04Z")
There’s the old adage “red sky at night, sailor’s delight; red sky at morning, sailor take warning”. Apparently it’s at least partially true: > **[Is the old adage "Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in morning,...](https://www.loc.gov/everyday-mysteries/meteorology-climatology/item/is-the-old-adage-red-sky-at-night-sailors-delight-red-sky-in-morning-sailors-warning-true-or-is-it-just-an-old-wives-tale/)** > > Within limits, there is truth in this saying. A small coastal freighter plying its way through a placid sea at sunset. Photo by Commander John Bortniak, NOAA Corps (ret). NOAA Photo Library. Have you ever heard anyone use the proverb... So maybe there tend to be more colorful sunsets because bad weather usually isn’t as frequent as good weather. I’ve seen many very colorful sunrises over the years, and they do seem to precede bad weather later in the day. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2014, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunrise-sunset-why-are-sunsets-more-colorful-than-sunrises/698508/14 "2014-09-15T15:29:13Z")
The sailors’ adage leaves out “No red sky at all; that’s also OK”. Not all good weather is heralded by “red sky at night”: That specifically means that you had bad weather, but it’s passing now. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2014, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunrise-sunset-why-are-sunsets-more-colorful-than-sunrises/698508/15 "2014-09-15T16:37:07Z")
Also, I believe the sailor’s adage developed in latitudes where the weather tends to move west to east. If you live someplace that’s not the case, then the saying may not be true as often. I understand that the red sky is related in part to the amount of moisture in the atmosphere which can portend storms - that is, if the weather is moving your way. Regarding the OP, my experience does not support the stated premise. I swim in Lake Michigan in the mornings and have seen some spectacular sunrises.