Writer: Sara Moore, Discovery student at Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park
Republished with permission from ontarioparks.com
Have you ever wondered what makes a sunset so special? What gives them their beautiful colours?
Understanding the science
So how are sunsets created? Light beams from the sun have different sizes, called wavelengths, each with its own colour. The colours red, orange, and yellow have longer wavelengths, so they can travel farther through our atmosphere. When the beams of light reach our atmosphere, they meet molecules. These could be the water molecules in our atmosphere but can include little dust particles. These molecules bounce the light back and forth, which is referred to as scattering. The longer the wavelength is, the more blue light is scattered by the beam of light.
When the sun is setting, its light must travel through the thickest part of the atmosphere. This causes more scattering to occur. As a result, longer wavelengths are reflected (red, orange, and yellow), creating beautiful colours in the sky.
Driftwood Provincial Park. Photo: Ashton Legris
Appreciating the beauty of sunsets
In addition to being scientifically fascinating, sunsets are visually pleasing! One of the most beloved activities at Ontario Parks is catching the sunsets — watching the beautiful colours blend across the sky, tinting gossamer clouds pink and purple.
But how does this make you feel?
Driftwood Provincial Park. Photo: Rebecca Rogge
Experiencing nature has been scientifically proven to benefit our health by lowering our stress and boosting well-being. There are many ways that experiencing nature can be incorporated into your life, and taking time to admire a sunset is one of them. The next time you’re driving home or looking out the window and seeing a sunset, stop to think about how seeing that sunset makes you feel.
Understanding the symbols
Sunsets can also be quite symbolic. Typically, our days are busy. Seeing a beautiful sunset while driving home or sitting outside with your family is a reminder that the day is done. But sunsets can also be a symbol for almost anything else! It could represent a fresh start or connect you to a memory of a loved one who has passed.
Lake St. Peter Provincial Park
Have you ever thought of what sunsets symbolize to you? The next time you see a sunset, whether you’re intentionally watching it or happen to notice it while looking out your window, take a moment to stop and reflect. Think about what causes the sunset to look that way, how it makes you feel to see that sunset, and what that sunset means to you.
For more information on our province’s stunning provincial parks: https://www.ontarioparks.com/
705BLACKFLY.COM asked to see YOUR sunset pics. We were overwhelmed by the response and loved them all!
Crystal Marie: Gravenhurst
Jane Easun Herlick: Magnetawan River at Maple Island
Nancy Bailey: Franklin Island
Jodi Paul: A combination of sunset and rainbow, so cool to see, over-the-century barn at the homestead. Miller Road, 5 minutes outside Magnetawan. (3 Pics)
Wanda Wakelin: Over Whalley Lake in Magnetawan
Sonia Christine: Larder Lake
Andy Attwater: Kirkland Lake
Joebie Tanamal: Gull Lake, Kirkland Lake
Alison Lafortune: Lake Muskoka, Gravenhurst
Emily Kettner: Huckleberry Rock Lookout
Ed Daley: Georgian Bay
Lori Mcdougall: Magnetawan River
Viki Lawrence: Ahmic Harbour
Rob Patterson: Muskoka bay, Gravenhurst
Jason Gliddon: Latchford
Rob Patterson: Muskoka Wharf Gravenhurst
Anne Seguin Malley: Lake Pavabiska, near Hearst
PJ Watkins: Lake Wahwashkesh
Aleisha Burta: Muskoka Wharf, Gravenhurst
Katy Brennan: Old Man’s Lake
Ginger Gravel: Remi Lake, Moonbeam Ontario
Rhonda Porter: Muskoka Wharf
Sherry Macdonald: Gravenhurst
Cheryl Lynn King: Muskoka Beach
Natasha Dobratz: Kenogami Lake
Debbie Mulligan: Nellie Lake
Melissa Monk: Sunset over Cobalt! View from the Nip lookout
Erin Tosh: Ahmic Lake
Rob Patterson: Sackville, New Brunswick
Jennifer Petraccone-Palacios: Whalley Lake
Nina Schooley: Neighick (Beaver) Lake
Sherri McEwen: McKellar
Ginger Gravel: Kapuskasing Ontario
Scott Brown: Crawford Lake Ahmic Harbour (2 Pics)
Sarah Marshall Bowers: Forest Lake, Township Joly, Sundridge
Chantal Lemieux: Sunset Kirkland Lake
Judy Dale: Old Man’s Lake
Heidi St-Onge: Wabi River sunset, New Liskeard
Heather Guthrie: Elk Lake
Paul Petrie: Lake Cecebe was taken from the mouth of the Magnetawan River
Christine Elaine Normore: Ahmic Harbour 💙
Sandra de Leeuw: Beaver Lake
Catherine Stamp Spiller: Lake Cecebe
Daniel Pegg: Kirkland Lake
Raymond Michael Leach: Round Lake, Kirkland Lake
Heather McFarlane: Round Lake, Kirkland Lake
Sheila Southey Steele: Ivanhoe
Mitchell Connolly: At work in Kirkland Lake !….Sunrise
Christie Rose: Lake Bernard, Sundridge
Gail O’Connor: Forest Lake, South River
Terri-Lynn Dunlop Brown: Georgian Bay from the Stocky Centre
Alisha Wilson, Beaver Lake
Sarah Marshall Bowers: Tonight’s sunset on Forest Lake in Joly Township.
Darren Davidson: Katherine Lake, Temagami Ontario
Isabel Straus Topps, Ruth Lake, Nipissing Township
Tammy DeVries: Goodfish Lake, Kirkland Lake
Dawn Wood-Jaques: Big Nellie Lake, Iroquois Falls, Ontario 2023
Amy Alison: Cochrane, Ontario
Lizzy Fi: Kenogami Lake
Travelling Food Dude: Visiting my family on Turtle Lake!
Loretta Rose: Lorraine Valley
Bonnie Cloutier: Nellie Lake ❤️
Shannon Rose: Silver Centre Rd. North Cobalt, ON
