What causes flattening of sun during sunset

1.	What causes flattening of sun during sunset
Answer» Apparent flattening of the sun’s disc at sunrise and sunset\xa0is due to atmospheric refraction. The density and the refractive index of the atmosphere decreases with altitude, so the rays above and below the sun on the horizon are refracted by different degrees. This causes the apparent flattening of the sun. But the rays from the sides of the sun on a horizontal plane are generally refracted by the same amount, hence the sun still appears circular along its sides. The rays of light from the bottom of the\xa0sun\xa0are refracting more than those from the top, flattening the\xa0sun\'s\xa0circular shape. “Flattened sun” can also refer to the\xa0Sun\xa0appearing in an oval shape close to the horizon during sunrise or sunset. The lower half of the\xa0sun\xa0appears darker in colour than the top half.\xa0At\xa0sunrise and\xa0sunset, the\xa0sun\xa0is near the horizon. The rays of light from the upper part and lower part of the periphery of the\xa0sun\xa0bend unequally on travelling\xa0through\xa0earth\'s atmosphere. That is why the\xa0sun\xa0appears oval or\xa0flattened at\xa0the time of sunrise and\xa0sunset.

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