Same sun, same air, longer road

Why are sunsets

The sun setting over the sea: deep blue sky overhead, orange and yellow at the horizon
NoonA short path through the air
SunsetA long path: the blue is scattered out on the way
NASA Space Place, "Why Is the Sky Blue?" (at sunset more of the blue is scattered, reds and yellows pass through) · Wikipedia, "Rayleigh scattering" · checked 5 Oct 2026 · spaceplace.nasa.gov/blue-sky · Photo: Aleksandr Aleksandrov, "Sea Sunset", CC0, Wikimedia Commons