The question of where the sun goes when it rains is rooted in the simple observation that the sky darkens and the sun disappears from view. This change, however, is purely a matter of local perspective and atmospheric conditions, not a change in the sun’s actual position. A “rainy day” is a temporary, localized event in our planet’s atmosphere that merely interferes with our ability to see the distant star that remains constantly shining. Our weather systems briefly obscure the stable astronomical relationship.
The Sun’s Unchanging Location
Earth’s weather is confined to a relatively thin shell of atmosphere, while the sun exists in a fixed astronomical position relative to our planet’s orbit. The sun is about 93 million miles away from Earth, a distance so vast that localized weather events have no influence on it. The sun’s movement across our sky is an apparent motion caused by Earth’s rotation, not by any shift in its own position.
A rainstorm is a temporary meteorological event occurring just a few miles above the ground, independent of the sun’s location in space. The sun continues to emit its full spectrum of electromagnetic radiation in every direction. It never “goes anywhere” or dims its output; its status is static with respect to the clouds and rain below.
How Clouds Block Visibility
The reason the sun seems to disappear is the physical obstruction caused by massive concentrations of water in the atmosphere. Rain clouds are composed of billions of tiny liquid water droplets and ice crystals, which act collectively as an opaque barrier. These particles are highly effective at interacting with incoming sunlight through scattering and absorption.
When sunlight enters a thick cloud layer, the light waves are repeatedly redirected and diffused by the water particles, preventing them from traveling in a straight line to the observer below. This scattering reduces the direct, focused light that defines the sun’s disk. Absorption converts some of the light energy into heat within the cloud itself. The overall effect is a significant reduction in light intensity reaching the ground, making the sun’s presence impossible to discern.
Visual Proof That Sunlight Remains
Despite the apparent disappearance, several phenomena confirm that the sun is still shining, even during the heaviest rain. The sky does not become completely dark, which is evidence that solar radiation is still penetrating the cloud layer, even if diffused. This residual light often causes the cloud tops to appear bright, having scattered the sunlight back into space and laterally across the sky.
Crepuscular rays, sometimes called “sunbeams,” are a powerful visual indicator where sunlight streams through gaps in the clouds, illuminating dust and moisture in the atmosphere. These beams confirm the sun is actively shining behind the cloud mass.
The formation of a rainbow is direct proof that sunlight is interacting with the falling rain droplets. A rainbow occurs when sunlight passes through raindrops and is refracted and reflected. This requires the sun to be present and positioned behind the observer, even if obscured by clouds.