With clear or partly cloudy morning skies, winter is a good time to catch a picture-perfect sunrise or sunset, said Chris Sohl, a meteorologist in Norman.
The sun is coming up about 7:35 a.m., nearly two hours later than during midsummer.
And with less humidity in winter, the result is a crisp, clear view of daybreak, said amateur astronomer Glen Kilgour of Newalla.
Rush-hour sunrises, though, can leave motorists fumbling for sunglasses. And since sunset is about 5:45 p.m. these days, the sun can cause blind spots for many drivers heading west.
"It can be a hazard this time of year for automobile drivers,” said Kilgour, a safety officer for a Choctaw trucking company and the observation coordinator for the Oklahoma City Astronomy Club.
People should leave headlights on 30 minutes after sunrise and clean windows and windshields to cut down on glare, he advised.
God’s greeting For 30 years, amateur photographer Larry Davis of Midwest City has been photographing sunrises.
As Davis walked the banks of Lake Stanley Draper, an Air Force AWACS plane roaring above, Davis focused on the sunrise, which he called God’s "good morning” greeting.
"Every sunrise is different,” Davis said.
"I’ve never seen one that is the same.”
One reason the sunrise looks so bright in winter, Sohl said, is because there is less smog.
A breathtaking sunrise can occur in summer, too, he said.
A summer sky with swirling clouds can be the sun’s canvas for a natural masterpiece, the meteorologist said.
But with sunrises around 5:20 a.m. in the middle of summer, fewer are awake to notice.
Oklahoma is known for brilliant sunrises and sunsets because there is a clear view from so many places, he said.
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