This publication began with a question by my dear friend, the novelist and documentary filmmaker George Lerner.
Looking more than two years of images from southern Texas, I noticed something surprising: I have many glorious images filmed around the sunset, but few decent shots at dawn. Why is this, I asked me: Is there any difference from an optical or geophysical perspective between sunset and dawn?
George copied me to this question that he sent my father, who has taught atmospheric physics. (How the three became close as the family is a story for another day).
I had an instinctive answer to George’s question: the reason why the sunsets are more surprising than sunrises is that you only see much more. So I laughed at myself when I saw that Dad’s response to George began: “I try to avoid the first hours of the morning, so I don’t see many sunrises.” (None of us are people in the morning).
But it turns out that there is more than just selection bias. There are scientific reasons why sunsets can be more picturesque than sunrises.
Dad writes:
In general terms, the air in the morning is more stable and less contaminated with particles that disperse the light. The atmosphere is also heated during the day and there is a vertical air movement that contributes to the formation of clouds of clusters that make a better visual view of the sun in the configuration.
There is something really in that old saying: “Red sky at night, Sailor’s delight; Red sky in the morning, the sailors warn. “said National Geographic.
Now it is possible to look for the prognosis of dawn and sunset.SunsetwxIt provides predictions for sunrise and sunset. Here is likeThey describe their methodology:
We quickly realized that some things were more important than others, and we decided a weighting scheme. After many tests and verifications, we pondered the more moisture … the pressure, as well as the change of pressure over time, was the next weighted highest factor, since it helps to recognize areas where the cloud cover can dominate and rub. Finally, we include General Cloud Cover, to better explain the regions where it is cloudy and help the model show it in that way.
Sunsetwx gives the greatest weight to the high clouds, and consider them necessary for a “vivid” sunset. Any place that has a cloud cover close to 100 percent or it is predicted that it will have precipitation during the sunset (or dawn) obtain a “poor” rating.
One thing that I have noticed over the years is that the winter sunset are especially incredible. I wondered if I thought about it because I live in a place surrounded by mountains, and the Alpenglow in the snowy peaks is difficult to overcome. But I am not imagining it, according to Stephen F. Corfidi at the NOAA Storm Prediction Center, Autumn and winter really do soproduce the most spectacular sunset. It is worth reading your explanatory in its entirety.
The conclusion is that if you are looking for a spectacular light exhibition, sunsets are a better bet that sunrises and autumn and winter are the best seasons. So, if you live in the northern hemisphere, salt and enjoy the maximum sunset season!
*This piece was executed for the first time on February 26, 2021
Image: sunset on ski trails in County Line in Grand Mesa by Christie Aschwanden
#Winter #sun #posts #sunsets
