Sunrise, sunset.....

[VonNoble]

My ignorance is as boundless as my curiosity apparently.

 

In a discussion with 12-year old boy from the neighborhood - he stumped me.

 

He was admiring a sunset photo I snapped years ago.    I had it enlarged... the colors just happen to be particularly stunning that night.  The photo was propped up against the wall minding its own business

 

The kid looked at it and said....”Is this a sunrise or a sunset?”   I clarified it was a sunset.   Then he asked, “ how can you tell the difference?”    

 

Is there a  way to tell the difference?   I have seen some pretty cool sunrises as well.        Are sunsets inherently more colorful?    I have no idea?    Are there unique differences between the images of a sunrise and a sunset?     

 

Kids are interesting humans and often think in ways that allow me to learn 

 

von

[mark 45]

if the sun is"settling"in the west,it is a"sunset".if it's"rising"in the east it is a"sunrise".

 

however,that is not your question.in a picture,i guess it depends on the surroundings to give you a clue,if the photographer isn't around. 

[Jonathan H. B. Lobl]

The first time I saw a sunrise, it was because I had to get up early.  My first reaction was that it was on the wrong side of the sky.  Also, a Sunrise gets brighter instead of darker.  The stars don't come out.  They fade.  None of this is obvious in a photo, which is a frozen slice of time.  

[VonNoble]

Thanks to both of you - for a confirmation that I am not quite as addled as I sometimes think I might be....

 

I could not think of a single way to tell in a photo (without some sort of directional reference point re: east or west.

 

There are days I find I just have to really THINK before answering. 

 

My dad used to claim he had slowed down because the computer in his brain had far more information to 

sort through due to more life experience.   (then he would laugh)

 

Now my dad DID know a ton of stuff.  So much so people assumed he was always telling the truth and that he

would actually have so many facts and figures in his head at all times.   However  - he had little problem throwing

out BS to throw anyone not fully engaged in the conversation.      If they didn't pay full attention to him - he would

dazzle the half listeners.  And smile while doing it. He just made it up and got more and more outlandish till they

realized he was messing with them.   

 

Thx again...kids sometimes refresh ones' curiosity...they do see the world differently. 

 

von

[Seeker]

In terms of atmospherics the two overlap, so it is not generally possible to definitively tell the two apart from a photo of an unknown location.

 

However... activity during the day (both natural and human) tends to produce a lot of dust, so sunsets are typically redder but more hazy, whereas sunrises are usually clearer and brighter. That means you can often make a good guess as to which is which.

 

 

[VonNoble]

11 hours ago, Seeker said:

In terms of atmospherics the two overlap, so it is not generally possible to definitively tell the two apart from a photo of an unknown location.

 

However... activity during the day (both natural and human) tends to produce a lot of dust, so sunsets are typically redder but more hazy, whereas sunrises are usually clearer and brighter. That means you can often make a good guess as to which is which.

 

 

Actually...... that is HELPFUL to know!

Thank you.   von