Physics in the Autumn Sunrise

The sun is an hour over the horizon. It's the first week of October in Maryland, and there's something uniquely enchanting in how the light catches the tips of the trees. What is it that makes this morning sunlight so spectacularly yellow-gold? As with most things, the answer--at some level--comes down to physics.And, because I know someone in the comments is going to get on my case for trying to turn a rational eye to the sublime beauty of nature, let me preempt that with words from someone who...