In winter, there’s no escaping beautiful sunsets and sunrises, whether they’re filling the sky when you’re out for a stroll, or filling your social media feeds as you scroll.
The warm colours of red, yellow and orange that paint the skies in bright displays are always some of the best highlights of the typically dark and dismal Scottish winters.
But why exactly is it that winter is the best time for both amateur Instagrammers and professional photographers to capture some of the most spectacular solar shows of the year?
We asked a meteorologist from the Met Office to explain.
What are the best conditions for beautiful sunrises and sunsets?
Greg Dewhurst, a senior operational meteorologist at the Met Office, said the impressive nature of winter sunsets and rises compared to those in summer months is all down to where the sun is in the sky.
Greg said: “The main factor for better sunsets in the winter months than the summer months is all own to the sun angle.
“In winter, the sun is lower in the sky for much longer than in the summer months, so the sunsets and sunrise colours have much more time to build.
“A good amount of mid and high level clouds in the sky, a 40-70% coverage of the sky is a good amount, is also required to help capture the light and gives the reds and oranges a deeper colour.
“Though, you don’t want too much cloud, or have it too thick as it can then lot out the light too much.”
Types of cloud also key to perfect sky display
As well as the volume of cloud coverage, Greg explained the secret to a particularly gorgeous sunrise or sunset if you really want to get as many likes as possible on social media is the type of cloud in the sky.
Greg continued: “The clouds to look out for in particular are firstly, cirrus clouds.
“These are high, think clouds made of ice crystals. They often form ahead of an approaching warm front.
“Two, altocumulus clouds are thicker and can catch the light stronger, giving deeper colours, but there is a bigger chance of snuffing out the sun too early.
“Altocumulus tends to form during high-pressure conditions, and can give rise to mackerel sky sunsets with alternating bright and dark patches.”
When can I find out exactly where sunrise and sunset is where I live?
There are many resources online to find out exactly when sunrise and sunset will be where you live and on any given day of the year.
The website Time And Date lets you search for where you live to find out the precise times.
Here’s the times for:
There have been a number of days filled with beautiful sunsets and sunrises this month already, including this week when people all across the north and north-east shared their photos of incredible red skies with us.
If you would like to share your sunset or sunrise photographs with us, you can email us at pictures@ajl.co.uk
