Question

What is the time difference between actual sunset and apparent sunset ?
A. 2 seconds
B. 20 seconds
C. 2 minutes
D. 20 minutes

Answer 1

Hint:- We had observed it many times that before the actual sunrise and sunset the sun is visible for some time. This could happen because of our atmosphere or we can say that due to atmospheric refraction.

Complete step-by-step answer:
Let us begin with some that we all already know i.e. Earth is moving or revolving on its axis. As well as Earth is rotating around the Sun which leads to day and night and changes in years. And the beginning of sunrise the day begins and with the sunset the night begins.
Now let us make it easier to understand with the help of a diagram.

And we as an observer are standing in Earth's atmosphere and watching the Sun.
Actual sunset is when the Sun crosses the horizon.

Where the horizon is the line at which the Earth surface and the sky appear to meet.
And as we know that if we are watching the Sun from Earth then the Earth’s atmosphere is denser than the Sun’s atmosphere. So, we are observing it from denser atmospheric air.
So, that’s why it seems to be visible to us even after 2 minutes of actual sunset.

Hence, the correct option will be C.

Note:- In this case the timing difference between actual and apparent sunset and sunrise depends upon the medium (i.e. denser air or less dense air medium) in which the sunlight is travelling.