A student on a camping trip notices that the Sun is visible to him about 2 minutes after the actual sunset. Which concept best explains this observation?
The atmospheric refraction causes the delayed sunset.
The atmosphere of the earth becomes denser closer to the ground, so its refractive index increases towards the surface. Light from the Sun bends towards the normal as it passes down through these layers.
When the Sun has just gone below the horizon, its light is still bent around the curve of the earth towards the observer, so the Sun appears slightly above the horizon. Because of this atmospheric refraction the Sun stays visible for about 2 minutes after actual sunset, and it also appears about 2 minutes before actual sunrise.
Scattering of sunlight explains the colours of the sky and the reddish Sun at sunset, not the extra time for which it is seen. The shape of the Sun and the Moon do not bend sunlight towards an observer, so they cannot make the Sun visible after it has set.
Hence, The atmospheric refraction causes the delayed sunset.
Similar Questions
An object is placed 10 cm from a diverging lens with a focal length of 15 cm. What is the position of the image formed?
A ray of light passes through the center of curvature of a concave mirror after reflection. Which path will it follow and why?
Identify the statement(s) that accurately describe situations involving refraction.
(i) The apparent depth of a swimming pool is less than its actual depth due to refraction.
(ii) We are able to see our image in a plane mirror due to refraction.
(iii) A pencil partially dipped in water appears bent at the water surface due to refraction.
(iv) Refraction makes a white wall appear colored at night.
Which of the following statements about image formation by spherical mirrors is NOT correct?
Which feature best describes the orientation and size of the image produced by a convex mirror for any object position?
If an image formed by a spherical mirror is real and inverted, which of the following correctly describes the sign of the image distance according to the sign convention?
A rainbow is observed after a rain shower when sunlight passes through water droplets in the air. Which process primarily causes the separation of colors seen in a rainbow?
In the context of spherical mirrors, what is the relationship between the principal axis and the normal at the pole?
Which property of convex mirrors makes them suitable for use in shopping malls for security purposes?
A student is asked to design an experiment using a concave mirror to locate its principal focus. She position a parallel beam of light to strike the mirror and observe the reflected rays meeting at a point. How should this point be described in the context of the mirror’s features?
Important Questions from Optics
Who was the first one to use a glass prism to obtain the spectrum of sunlight?
Twinkling of stars is due to:
In which a convex mirror is used?
A. Rear View mirrors in vehicles
B. Glass windows
C. Makeup Mirror
D. Kaleidoscope
An object is placed 10 cm in front of a lens. The image formed is real, inverted and of same size as the object. What is the focal length and nature of the lens?
The power of a lens is -2.5 D. The type of lens and its focal length are respectively:
