Advanced sunrise and delayed sun-set found in the sky are due to the phenomenon of
diffraction of sunlight
refraction of sunlight
scattering of sunlight
total internal reflection of sun-light
Answer is Right!
Answer is Wrong!
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CAPF – 2013
As sunlight enters the Earth’s atmosphere, it passes through layers of air with varying densities. This causes the light rays to bend, or refract. Near the horizon, where sunlight travels through a larger amount of atmosphere, this refraction is significant. The atmosphere bends the light rays downwards, towards the Earth’s surface. This bending makes the Sun appear higher in the sky than its actual position. As a result, we see the Sun before it has actually risen above the horizon (advanced sunrise) and after it has actually set below the horizon (delayed sunset).