We can see the Sun even when it is little below the horizon because of ______.
Options
Reflection of light
Refraction of light
Dispersion of light
Absorption of light
Solution
We can see the Sun even when it is little below the horizon because of refraction of light.
Explanation:
The rays of light from the Sun travel in straight line until they reach the Earth's atmosphere. The rays of light from the Sun enter obliquely in the Earth's atmosphere. The light rays coming from the Sun bend because of refraction, and this bending increases further because of the further increase in the refractive index of the successive layers. This causes the light rays to bend and we see the Sun early. Similarly, at sunset, the apparent position of the Sun is visible to us and not the actual position because of the same bending of light rays effect. Thus, due to refraction we see the Sun rise about two minutes before it is actually there and during sunset, we see it for around two minutes more, even though it has already moved from that position.
