See photos of Utah’s hazy sunset this week

Utah sunsets can be quite spectacular, and Sunday night was no exception. The bowl-shaped valley tends to hold onto pollution, smog and wildfire smoke, which can cause unsafe air quality but can also produce stunning sunsets.

The ozone levels in northern Wasatch Front are “well above” the standards for ozone concentrations, Bryce Bird, director of Utah’s Division of Air Quality, told Deseret News .

“We’re still working for that standard,” Bird told committee members . “But again, (we are) far from it at this point.”

While the pollution can sometimes make a sunset seem more vivid, air pollution, dust and wildfire smoke can also mute a sunset because it absorbs “more light than nitrogen and oxygen, the two most abundant gases in the atmosphere, and they scatter the wavelengths of light most equally, which mutes the color of a sunset,” according to the Forest Preserve District of Will County .

The perfect formula for a spectacular sunset is a delicate balance. It requires the following, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation :

• Humidity — should be low but not too low.
• Cloud coverage — ideal is between 30-70%.
• Prior rainfall — optimally two to six hours before sunset.
• High visibility.
• Wind speed — ideal conditions are low wind speed or no wind.