Fill in the following blanks with suitable words:We can see the sun about _________ minutes before the actual sunrise and about _________ minutes after the actual sunset because of atmospheric _________.

We can see the sun about two minutes before the actual sunrise and about two minutes after the actual sunset because of atmospheric refraction.

Explanation

Due to the refraction of sunlight caused by the atmosphere, we can see the sun 2 minutes before it's actually above the horizon (advanced sunrise), and 2 minutes even after the actual sunset (delayed sunset).

This happens because when the sun is slightly below the horizon, then the sun's light coming from the less dense air to more dense air is refracted downwards as it passes through the atmosphere. Thus, due to this atmospheric refraction, the sun appears to be raised above the horizon when actually it is slightly below the horizon.

Tutorialspoint

Simply Easy Learning

Updated on: 10-Oct-2022

71 Views

Kickstart Your Career

Get certified by completing the course

Get Started