Initializing, please wait a moment

When to Use the Atmospheric Refraction Sunset 3D Explorer

Last reviewed: 2026-08-14

Open the Atmospheric Refraction Sunset 3D Explorer when you want a hands-on answer to why the setting Sun looks flattened, sits higher than its true position, and can briefly flash green.

Sessions this explorer fits

Students and teachers introducing atmospheric refraction, readers curious why "sunset" is defined the way it is, anyone wanting to understand the physical cause of a green flash before trying to spot one, and readers who want to see the Sun's true and apparent positions separate all get a direct answer here.

Sessions this explorer does not fit

Sessions this page does not fit are studying the wider civil, nautical, and astronomical twilight sky-brightness bands across a much larger 0-18 degree range, which are on the Twilight Types 3D Explorer - that page renders global sky darkness after sunset, not the sub-degree optical bending of the Sun's own disk. Walk through the controls in the step-by-step guide.

← Back to Space 3D

Last updated: Aug 14, 2026

Reviewed by the Free Tool Online editorial team · Tested in the current versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge before publishing. No account is needed to use any tool. Report a bug - we triage within 72 hours. · Last refreshed April 2026.

Why trust these tools

Ten-plus years of web tooling. The freetoolonline editorial team has shipped browser-based utilities since 2015. The goal has never changed: get you to a working output fast, without an install.
No install, no sign-up. Open a tool and get a working output in seconds - nothing to download and no account to create. Tools that need heavy processing run it on our service, so even a low-powered machine gets the job done.
Analytics stops at the page view. We measure which pages get visited, not what you type or upload inside a tool. There is nothing to sign in to and no profile is attached to your input.
Open-source core components. The processing engines underneath (libheif, libde265, pdf-lib, terser, clean-css, ffmpeg.wasm, and others) are public and audit-able. We link to each one in its tool page's footer.
Free, with or without ads. All tools are fully functional without sign-up. The Disable Ads button in the header is always available if you need a distraction-free run.

Related tools:

File Compressor: Pick the Right Tool by File Type - Free file compressor online: ZIP a folder, compress JPG/PNG photos, convert HEIC to JPG, or merge
Solar System 3D Explorer - Solar System 3D Explorer - All eight planets orbit the sun live on screen - drag to orbit the view,
Galaxy 3D Simulator - Galaxy 3D Simulator - Up to 100,000 points form the spiral arms on desktop (30,000 on phones so
Io Volcanoes 3D Explorer
Velociraptor 3D Viewer - View a Velociraptor in 3D at true turkey scale - rotate the model, size it against a person, and
Triceratops 3D Viewer - View a Triceratops in 3D - rotate its frilled skull, size it against a person, and read its real
Giganotosaurus 3D Viewer - View Giganotosaurus in 3D - rotate the model, size it against a person, and read its real length,
Apatosaurus 3D Viewer - View Apatosaurus in 3D - rotate the stocky sauropod, size it against a person, and read its real
Therizinosaurus 3D Viewer - View Therizinosaurus in 3D - rotate the giant herbivorous theropod with the longest claws of any
Utahraptor 3D Viewer - View Utahraptor in 3D - rotate the largest known raptor ever found, size it against a person, and
Ground Sloth (Megatherium) 3D Viewer - View a Megatherium, the giant Ice Age ground sloth, in 3D - rotate it, size it against a person,
Edmontosaurus 3D Viewer - View Edmontosaurus in 3D - rotate the duck-billed dinosaur, size it against a person, and read its

Related guides:

HEIC vs JPG vs WebP - When to Use Each - iPhone photos are HEIC; Windows and Android expect JPG.
PNG vs SVG - When to Use Each - PNG vs SVG - raster vs vector, when to pick each for logos, icons, UI, and photos, with exact
MD5 vs SHA-256 - When to Hash - MD5 vs SHA-256 - speed, collision resistance, and concrete use cases.
When to Compress vs Convert an Image - Compress or convert an image?
What Is a File Compressor and Which to Use - A "file compressor" is not one tool.
File Compressor: Pick the Right Tool by File Type - Free file compressor that picks the right browser tool by what you have: ZIP a folder, compress
Test LCD: Pick the Right Screen-Test Tool - Test LCD, LCD test, or LCD tester all map to one job: check your screen for dead pixels, color, and
Folder To Zip: When and How to Archive a Folder Online - Folder to zip guide: when archiving a folder into one .zip actually saves space, which mode to use
Make a ZIP File Online - What the Tool Does and When ZIP Saves Space - Make a ZIP file online: when ZIP actually saves space, when it does not, and how to send files or a
What an LCD Test Does (and When to Run One) - What an LCD test actually checks (dead pixels, stuck pixels, backlight bleed, banding) - and when
SVG to PNG - When to Rasterize - Most SVGs should stay vector.
Base64 - When to Use and When Not To - Base64 makes binary data text-safe at a 33 percent size cost.