How Sahara dust, the angle of the sun and drier air create more spectacular sunsets

Sunsets and sunrises in winter are, arguably, the finest in the year.

The cooler temperatures mean that the air holds less moisture - and that drier air results in bolder looking colours. 

During winter, the sun sets on more of an angle which increases the amount of the time it takes to set. This allows for a longer sunset.

The angle of the sun also means the sunlight has to pass through more atmosphere, which in turn means that we see longer wavelength colours: orange pink and red. 

Why are sunsets so spectacular at the moment?

A few times a year, big dust storms in the Sahara coincide with southerly wind patterns which blow the dust particles as far north as the UK.

These particles in the sky reflect and scatter the light from the sun which create colours far more vivid that we would usually see.

A plume of Saharan dust will move out Africa across the Atlantic towards the UK in the coming days

 What conditions are generally best for seeing a lovely sunset?

Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said: "A good amount of mid and high level cloud in the sky, a 40-70% coverage of the sky is a good amount, is also required to help capture the light and gives the reds and oranges a deeper colour. 

"The clouds to look out for in particular are firstly, cirrus clouds. These are high, thick clouds made of ice crystals. They often form ahead of an approaching warm front."

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