How you can tell if the sunset will be colorful in Denver

DENVER (KDVR) — When the sun sets in Denver, sometimes there are pink and purple colors across the mountain skyline, while other times, the sky stays blue before it fades into nighttime.

The sunset won't always be perfect, but it turns out, there's a way to know if the sunset will be good before it happens.

According to Pinpoint Weather Meteorologist Travis Michels, it's not necessarily a forecast meteorologists look at when broadcasting weather, but there is a science behind it.

Nice sunsets usually occur when there are partly to mainly sunny skies. This is not only because you can see a clear sunset, but for colors to show, the sky needs to have some clouds to showcase the color, according to Michels.

Clouds help show the colors because as the sun rises or sets, light passes through more of the atmosphere and hits more particles, according to Michels. Those particles can be natural or manmade dust and pollutants.

When the light hits the particles, it scatters, bounces and changes ...