Predict a nice sunrise sunset

B1gft

Hi,

I am guessing this could be the best place to ask this. If I am wrong, please move the post, admin.

For taking photos etc, what are the weather conditions that would help to predict a nice sunrise/sunset.

I looked it up in Google and got confused with the information, so if you could dumb it down as best you can, that would be great.

I know its not an exact science but any help I would appricate

Thanks

InAtFullBack

Check this post out: https://x.com/SnowbieWx/status/1754824985372209501?s=20

Cluedo Monopoly

I always find the sunsets around the 2 equinoxes to be the most spectacular. March-April or September-October months.

skinny90

There are a lot of factors to consider..

often the leading factor is cloud cover

we want a fair density of high cloud to catch low sunlight light in the sky.

we will want to marry this is little or no low cloud.

there a lot more variables to consider, the above reference is an example

sryanbruen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121737130#Comment_121737130

That's mine, thanks for sharing it.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121737744#Comment_121737744

Mid level cloud like altocumulus is also spectacular. A little bit of high cloud is great as streaks of cirrus will light up after the sun has set. However, too much high cloud and it starts to look like a washed out mess with thick, grey streaks blocking the horizon. You typically see this with the approach of a weather front (the pre-frontal sunset I described in my graphic above). You may also see it with warm season/summer sunsets but with the added haze which mutes colours of the clouds though haze can result in dusty red or muted suns which won't blind you when you look at them through the camera viewfinder.

Just one example but when I see 100% high cloud on sites like Yr.no, I take that as a bad thing rather than a good thing because it normally translates to the mentioned scenario. See the first picture below for the kind of sky I'm referring to. A bit of mid-level and high cloud is a good balance.

Cold front clearances (which high pressure typically follows) and breaks in the cloud from a southwesterly bring the most fiery sunsets usually I find though that is not to say you can't get fiery skies with other scenarios - 20th March 2020 was one of the most spectacular I've seen and that was easterly but with a front to the south so the western horizon wasn't blocked. Approaching fronts usually give the most colourful sunrises as the eastern horizon is typically clear or broken of cloud whilst the fronts come from the west vast majority of the time.

Getting the horizon clear is what's most important at sunrise and sunset in the direction they come from. This allows rayleigh scattering to occur illuminating the cloud above when the sun is low or below the horizon. You can get skies where cloud doesn't look favourable but glows red because of this (see second picture for an example of this).

If the atmosphere has a fair amount of volcanic emissions, you can expect a clear sky to glow purple so a normally featureless sky can be colourful. We seen these from Russian volcanic eruptions in 2009 and 2019. These are not easy to expect as can crop up at random times.

OldRio

Stunning photos

John mac

photopills is a great tool for framing and getting locations ,

secman

Clouds can really add to the sunset , taken with a phone.

SouthWesterly

A few from kerry

sryanbruen

Frontal clearance coinciding with sunset strikes again.