A Fiery, Illustrious Display of Beauty

Dylan Aguirre-Miller, Staff Photographer

These photos were taken in Brighton, CO during sunset. I describe this time as a “fiery, illustrious display of beauty,”.  The word “fiery’’ emphasizes the vivid, almost burning quality of the orange and red hues in the sky. The word “illustrious’’ suggests a grand and impressive spectacle, which is appropriate given the vastness of the sky and the reflection of the water.

As the sun sets behind the mountains, you can see the different shades of red and orange. This vibrant feature is a scientific phenomenon called “Light Scattering’’ which occurs when the molecules in the atmosphere (oxygen and nitrogen) change the direction of light. This also explains why the sky is blue since it is on the light spectrum. Light scattering affects the blue color of the light spectrum the most. This means that by the time the sunlight reaches our eyes, there is generally more of the red and yellow parts of the spectrum remaining.  

A proverb that talks about red skies states, “A red sky at night is a shepherds delight, a red sky in the morning is a shepherd's warning.’’ This proverb preaches that a red sky at dusk is an indicator of a good day tomorrow, and that a red sky at dawn is an indication of a storm on the way.

A Fiery, Illustrious Display of Beauty. Photo by Dylan Aguirre-Miller