Angry August Sunrise

Clouds at high altitudes such as these cirrus and altocumulus clouds have actually enhanced the colors of this morning sunrise photo.

The best time to see amazing sunrises and sunsets is typically in the fall and winter months in the mid-latitudes. The key ingredients to see such beautiful colors is a LACK of pollution, a few high clouds, and the sun angle. In the morning and evening hours, sunlight has to take a longer path through the atmosphere due to the low angle of the sun. When sunlight travels through more atmosphere, it provides more molecules to scatter the violet and blue light away from our eyes. If the path is long enough we’ll begin to see hues of red, orange, pink, yellow, and purple.
Read less