Question

The sun appears whitish:

• A. much before sunrise
• B. at the sunrise and sunset
• C. at noon
• D. much after sunset

Hint:

The sun appears reddish or yellowish when it is low on the horizon due to longer light paths and scattering, but at noon, when it's higher, it appears whiter due to a shorter light path.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

The color of the sun changes depending on the atmospheric conditions and the time of the day.
Step 1: White appearance of the sun.
The sun appears white during sunrise and sunset because of the scattering of light. When the sun is near the horizon, its light passes through a larger thickness of the Earth's atmosphere. Shorter wavelengths like blue and violet are scattered out, and the longer wavelengths like red and yellow dominate. However, the remaining sunlight that reaches the observer still includes all wavelengths of visible light, which mix together to appear white.
Step 2: At noon.
At noon, when the sun is directly overhead, its light path through the atmosphere is shorter, and it appears yellowish due to the scattering of shorter wavelengths.
Step 3: Conclusion.
Thus, the sun appears whitish at sunrise and sunset, which is the correct answer (B).