Times of the Islands Spring 2021

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
Sunset viewing is a popular custom around the world,
especially in areas near the water. Crowds gather for
drum circles on the beaches of Tel Aviv, Israel; sunset
torch lightings and conch-blowing ceremonies are held
on Honolulu beaches in the United States; Hindu people
make pilgrimages to Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip
of India, where the sun sets over the confluence of three
seas. Film-makers have long used sunsets to portray
emotion in films and for good reason. The very nature of
viewing a sunset is romantic and speaks to humans on an
innate level—it marks a satisfying, deep conclusion to the
day.
In my experience, sunsets have a unique power to
bring people together. When I worked at The School for
Field Studies (SFS) on South Caicos, I saw it happen with
two different semesters of students. Gathering for sunsets
became a nightly ritual, treated with excitement and
respect. For some of us, this was an intentional commitment.
For instance, we had a student who never missed a
sunset in her time on South. For others, sunset-watching
was a sort of unspoken routine.
“When the sun has set, no candle can replace it.”
~ George R.R. Martin
Sunsets invoke a sense of awe and ultimately, this
is what gives them the power to bring people together.
Research shows that people feel more patient, satisfied
with life and willing to volunteer time for others after
experiencing the emotion of awe. Additionally, awe
expands our concept of time, making us feel that we have
more time available in our lives. Considering the many
awe-inspiring natural moments that happen daily in the
TCI, perhaps scientists would consider “island time” as
more than merely a saying.
Light plays an essential role in many of such natural
phenomena: sunsets, rainbows, mirages and even green
flashes. But what is the science behind these beautiful
tricks of the light?
There are a few unseen phenomena that allow you to
watch a sunset. To understand them, first consider how
humans perceive light generally. Light travels in a straight
line and only deviates from that path if an object, such as
a tiny molecule or particle, gets in its way. When we look
up at the sky during the day, we see blue. This is because
as the light from the sun enters Earth’s atmosphere,
nitrogen and oxygen molecules are in the light’s way.
Light hits these molecules and then scatters in many different
directions. All of the colors of the rainbow, which
ANNA HANDTE-REINECKER
Viewing the daily sunset is a ritual for students and staff at The School for Field Studies in South Caicos.
40 www.timespub.tc