Bandar Seri Begawan – As the Sun dips low over Brunei’s coastal horizon today, it sheds its perfect circle. Why?

The Sun appears oval or squashed near the horizon due to atmospheric refraction – a fascinating optical effect caused by Earth’s layered atmosphere.

This visual distortion is due to sunlight travels through a thicker slice of the atmosphere at sunset compared to midday. This dense path bends (refracts) the light unevenly.

Refraction lifts the lower limb, compressing the golden disk into an ethereal ellipse.

▲ Sunset at Tanjong Batu on Jul 26, 2025 at 6:31 p.m. [Settings: Fujifilm XT3 100-400mm Lens + 1.4X extender, 840mm, ss 1/500 f10 iso160, handheld] (Photo by by Faisal Tuah)

▲ The sun appears oval at sunrise and sunset but appears circular at noon is best explained by phenomenon called refraction.