Forecasting Sunsets

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eeverson

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Euge
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Hi All,

I was just wondering if there were any weather patterns or times of year which tend to produce good sunsets?

A couple of times I have driven to places with the hope of there being a good sunset and ended up with pretty much nothing, so just wanted to increase the odds of me getting a decent sunset!

Cheers
Euge
 
ooo I will be interested to know if there is any scientific way of predicting it. My office window looks directly west, so I just keep an eye out for an interesting sunset starting.
 
I was going to ask this very question so hopefully some of the gurus can give us thier wisdom.
 
Fantastic sunsets are very easy to forecast;) They will always occur when one of the following is true!

A....You don't have your camera with you.

B....You are unable to escape from work until exactly 15 minutes after sunset.

C....You have your camera with you.....but you only have your 600mm + 2x converter because you've been trying to capture that elusive Blue tit, Sparrow, Wren all afternoon (you probably didn't manage that either)

:bang:
 
Thanks for that thread WEDDINGHACK, I have stolen the best comments and pasted them here:

The "smog index" is very useful :-) The more aerial pollution, the more colorful the sunset as a rule. Low clouds blanketing the horizon usually mean lousy sunsets. High clouds make lovely sunsets. Low clouds in small sizes scudding under high ones can be great.
Click to expand...

Watch the weather report; if tomorrow is going to be warmer then today then chances are there will be a reddish or even red sky at sunset. If tomorrow is supposed to have rain late in the day then sunrise may be what you are looking for.
Click to expand...

Here in Florida it seems the best sunsets come between december and April. When it starts getting hotter the sunsets seem to not be as dramatic (possibly because of the shifting angle of the sun). I usually look for good thin cloud cover near the horizon but not extending too much beyond it. I think the best cloud type to look for is a lot of cirrus clouds (the high wispy ones).
Click to expand...

So in summary its air pollution (I guess when its not rained for a coulple of days then) mixed with high wispy clouds... I will keep an eye out and see how well it works!

Cheers
Euge
 
High pressure would be a good idea, rain clouds and bad stuff forms in low pressure...
 
For the best sunsets / sunrises you need clouds, preferably high clouds. Some of the best sunsets I have taken are of " Mackerel Sky" which is a sky with a lot of cirrocumulus or altocumulus clouds arranged in regular waves with blue sky in the gaps. These usually appear ahead of rain or stormy weather.

If you look for a warm or cold front coming towards you, these are generally preceeded by clouds and you may get a good sunrise / sunset then.

Hope this helps a bit, if you can also read a synoptic chart, that would help too.
Allan
 
Eric Mc said:
Fantastic sunsets are very easy to forecast;) They will always occur when one of the following is true!

A....You don't have your camera with you.

B....You are unable to escape from work until exactly 15 minutes after sunset.

:bang:
Click to expand...

Pure wisdom! :clap:
 
Eric Mc said:
Fantastic sunsets are very easy to forecast;) They will always occur when one of the following is true!

A....You don't have your camera with you.

B....You are unable to escape from work until exactly 15 minutes after sunset.

C....You have your camera with you.....but you only have your 600mm + 2x converter because you've been trying to capture that elusive Blue tit, Sparrow, Wren all afternoon (you probably didn't manage that either)

:bang:
Click to expand...

I love this! ^

Seriously though Euge, sunsets are just like any other subject - you've got to really understand it to improve your chances. So study simple weather forecasting and check the TV, etc.

In the olden days before forums and computer algorythms there was a simple formula that (mostly) worked for any subject - Experience + Perseverance = Success.

Good luck.
 
allanm said:
For the best sunsets / sunrises you need clouds, preferably high clouds. Some of the best sunsets I have taken are of " Mackerel Sky" which is a sky with a lot of cirrocumulus or altocumulus clouds arranged in regular waves with blue sky in the gaps. These usually appear ahead of rain or stormy weather.

If you look for a warm or cold front coming towards you, these are generally preceeded by clouds and you may get a good sunrise / sunset then.

Hope this helps a bit, if you can also read a synoptic chart, that would help too.
Allan
Click to expand...

Yes, this would be the big tip. The best sunsets tend to ones in which the sun can be spotted near the horizon, and the rays are allowed to sweep close to the ground and defract through clouds high in sky.

No clouds, and you end up with an orangey (boring-ish) sunset. Too close to the ground (heavy overcast or cumulus) and the sun will be blocked.
 
Down here in cornwall at least, you get a good chance of a nice sunset if its an easterly wind because it's blown the rest of the country's crap and pollution down over us :lol:

Haze, pollution and interesting cloud patterns often make a good sunset.
 
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