Sunsets on Sisal, Yucatan's Beaches
At one time or another all of us have stopped to watch a beautiful Sunset and have been captivated by the display of rich and vivid colors. You can take in a sunset anywhere you go, but some parts of the world are well known for their moving palette of colors, especially the beaches of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. What makes these everyday occurrences so majestic and beautiful?
How Sunsets Work
When the sun is high in the sky it generally appears white because all the wavelengths of visible light reach an observer's eyes with almost equal intensity. As the sun begins to sink toward the horizon, the light from the sun enters the atmosphere at a much lower angle and consequently must travel through much more of the atmosphere before being seen by an observer. This increase in the amount of atmosphere means that there are more air molecules scattering the shorter wavelengths of light (violet and blue), and only the longer wavelengths (yellow, orange and red) are able to penetrate through the atmosphere.
Types of Sunsets
The type and concentration of atmospheric particles in the path of incoming sunlight determines the type of sunset observed. When sunlight encounters fewer particles in the atmosphere, more wavelengths of light reach the observer's eye with more equal intensity. The reduced scattering produces the white or yellow sunsets commonly observed in the Rocky Mountains, where the atmosphere typically contains fewer dust and assorted particles. As incoming sunlight passes through a more dense tropical atmosphere, shorter wavelengths of light (violet and blue) are scattered away by particles suspended in the atmosphere. This means predominantly yellow and red wavelengths of light reach the observer’s eyes, producing a yellowish-red sunset.
Spectacular Sunsets on the Yucatan Peninsula
Red sunsets are more often observed from a tropical beach because of higher humidity levels in the air over tropical oceans. These particles effectively scatter shorter wavelengths of light, producing redder sunsets.
On Sunset Shores you can enjoy spectacular tropical sunsets every night from the comfort of you own beach home on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
