Why does the sun appear reddish early in the morning ? Will this phenomenon be observed by an astronaut on the Moon ? Give reason to justify your answer.
Solution:
During the sunrise the sun is set close to the Earth’s horizon, and therefore light travels a longer distance through the atmosphere of the Earth. Particles suspended in the air distribute the light in shorter wavelengths such as blue. The long wavelength of the light that comes through the Earth is red colour. This is the reason sun appear reddish early in the morning.
The astronaut will not observe this phenomenon on the moon’s surface, because the moon has no atmosphere. Therefore no light will be distributed, and darkness will arise.