Explanation:
On April 17,
the sky was clear and the Sun's colour was spectacular as
night approached.
This striking telescopic view even captures the Sun's swollen and
distorted shape from the
southern coast of the UK.
Reflecting a bright column of sunlight, the sea also appears golden,
with the horizon marked by the city of Portsmouth.
Were the colours made more intense by
volcanic dust?
Maybe not.
Normally,
sunset (and sunrise)
colours can still be very dramatic,
especially when
the atmosphere is clear and the Sun is viewed very near the
horizon, as in this scene.
But large dust particles, like those in the airline-thwarting ash
clouds from the erupting Icelandic volcano
Eyjafjallajökull, tend to create diffuse and
subdued sunset colours.
