Which of the following optical phenomena can explain the flattening of the Sun's disc at sunrise and sunset?

Question

Question

This question was previously asked in

RRB Group D Previous Year Paper (Held on: 26 Aug 2022 Shift 2)

Answer 1

The correct answer is Atmospheric refraction

Key Points

Atmospheric refraction is responsible for the flattening of the Sun's disc at sunrise and sunset.
This phenomenon occurs because the light from the Sun passes through the Earth's atmosphere, which causes the light rays to bend due to the change in the medium's density.
As a result, the Sun's image appears distorted and flattened when it is near the horizon.
Atmospheric refraction also causes other phenomena such as the apparent shift in the position of stars and the twinkling of stars.

Additional Information

Scattering of light is responsible for the blue color of the sky and the red color of the sunset but does not explain the flattening of the Sun's disc.
Total internal reflection occurs when light is completely reflected within a medium, such as in optical fibers, and is not relevant to the flattening of the Sun's disc.
Dispersion of light refers to the splitting of light into its constituent colors as it passes through a prism, which is not related to the flattening of the Sun's disc.
The atmosphere plays a crucial role in various optical phenomena due to its varying density and composition.