Atmospheric Refraction

Atmospheric refraction is the bending of light as it passes through different layers of the Earth's atmosphere, which have varying temperatures and densities. This bending can affect how we perceive the position of objects, like stars and the sun, making them appear higher in the sky than they truly are. It is the reason why we experience phenomena like the "green flash" at sunset and why horizons can seem distorted. Atmospheric refraction is an important factor in fields like astronomy and navigation, as it influences visibility and the accurate observation of celestial events.