Ooooo! Ooooo! I'm one of the two or three other people who mentioned the BEAUTIFUL sunsets in Arizona. You know, those wonderful things you claim are brought about by pollution? I do remember some basic science from my years in school many moons ago and I was slightly suspicious that your claims were rubbish. If it were true who in their right mind could ever again enjoy these sunsets you so despise! So....
- There are colorful sunsets everywhere in the world, but the deserts and the tropics are particularly noted for the wonderful, bright colors of their sunsets. Why is that? Is it pollution? Is it cloud formations? Is it beings from other planets shining flashlights downward?
- Dust does not cause brilliant sunsets. If it did, certain cities like New York and Mexico City would be on top of the list, and they are not. Actually, clean air is best for the best sunsets.
- Sunlight is composed of a spectrum of colors that ranges from violet and blue at one end to orange and red on the other. At sunrise or sunset, sunlight takes a much longer path through the atmosphere than during the middle part of the day. More violet and blue light is scattered out of the beam along the way, and so the light which reaches the human eye early or late in the day is reddened. So the conclusion is that sunsets are red because the daytime sky is blue. (Please don't ask me why the sky is blue.)
- Pollution softens the sky's colors, because the particles of dust and dirt are scattered and are of varying sizes, so the wavelengths sunlight of light passing through the particles are mixed. This lets us see muted tones, more middle of the spectrum.
- The best sunsets occur when there are at least a few high clouds. Higher clouds are hit by the sun's rays before they pass through the lower atmosphere, where the air has more particles. So the bright reds and oranges are filtered through at the high cloud's level.
Source:
http://phoenix.about.com/cs/clipartp...blazsunset.htm
Another interesting extract...
"So what about this "pollution makes it pretty" idea? Where did this supposed truism -- this extremely urban myth -- come from? Well, as usual, there's that kernel of truth in this misinformation.
Only when particles are thrown very high into the atmosphere by a volcano does the "pretty pollution" effect occur. The reason: At that height, the particles help bring out the longer-wavelength reds, pinks and oranges in sunlight. In a way, the particles get in the way of the shorter-wavelength blues.
So, why would people infer -- or at least be willing to believe -- something negative is behind something so positive? Is it something about the modern American psyche? Something deeply ingrained in human nature?
Sonja Lyubomirsky, an award-winning University of California-Riverside psychology researcher, says it's both modern and ingrained.
In recent years people have grown increasingly worried about pollution, she said. When they see a pretty sunset, they see it as a silver lining, a bit of comfort about a bad thing -- pollution. It's a coping mechanism.
"People are remarkable as far as how well they're able to turn negatives into positives," Lyubomirsky said."
Complete article source:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/..._sunset03.html
So, can people go back to enjoying their sunsets now?
Oh yes, I am perfectly sane, too!
I think it comes down to this...Arizona is not a State for the weak, wimpy or easily discouraged. It takes strong people who can live in such a challenging place and meet the challenge pretty much every day with a smile on their face. Pretty admirable in my humble opinion and worthy of some rspect. I can't wait to get back
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05-01-2007, 09:10 PM
There's so much to hate about the area and I am being left out of all the hateful stuff 
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