The reason why we see the sun only a few minutes before the actual sunrise is

The reason why we see the sun only a few minutes before the actual sunrise is due to refraction of light (option D). Refraction occurs when light passes through different densities, such as the Earth’s atmosphere. As the Sun approaches the horizon, its light travels through increasingly dense layers of the atmosphere near the Earth’s surface. This refraction causes the Sun’s image to appear lifted above the horizon slightly earlier than it would geometrically appear based on its position. Consequently, observers on Earth can see the Sun’s light before its actual geometric rise, resulting in the phenomenon known as sunrise. This effect is also responsible for the extended periods of twilight before sunrise and after sunset, where the Sun’s light is refracted over the horizon, providing illumination despite the Sun’s position below it. Unlike scattering (option A), diffraction (option B), or total internal reflection (option C), refraction specifically addresses how light bends in the atmosphere, influencing the apparent timing of sunrise and sunset from Earth’s surface.