During sunrise and sunset times, the first thing that strikes us is the color of the Sun's rays. But what gives the Sun and sky a golden glow? It all happens due to a phenomenon called "scattering." When the Sun is low on the horizon, small particles and water droplets in the atmosphere force sunlight to change direction. As a result, shorter wavelength colors like blue and violet get scattered out, leaving only the longer wavelength colors like yellow, orange, and red available to our eyes.