Calgary·Photos

The spectacular sunsets and sunrises of southern Alberta

When the conditions on the Earth's surface are right — and here in southern Alberta, they often are — the eastern sky comes alive in the morning and the western sky erupts in the evening with vibrant hues of orange and red, purple and periwinkle.

CBC Calgary readers sent us these stunning photos

The Bow River reflects pastel tones cast by the setting sun behind the Calgary skyline. (Christy Caswell)

Every 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.1 seconds, our planet completes a full rotation on its axis.

The result is a spectacular light show, twice daily, on the horizon.

When the conditions on the Earth's surface are right — and here in southern Alberta, they often are — the eastern sky comes alive in the morning and the western sky erupts in the evening with vibrant hues of orange and red, purple and periwinkle.

Sunrises and sunsets don't last long; their most vivid moments are fleeting. Fortunately, there are plenty of you out there with keen eyes and quick shutter-button fingers, ready to capture the visual display.

The images are made all the more stunning when set against the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains, the skyline of downtown Calgary or other creative framings that you've come up with.

Below are some of our favourite sunset and sunrise photos, sent to us by readers, as part of the #CBCCalgary Snapshot Series.

Thank you to everyone who submitted an image. And enjoy!

(Richard Yee)
(Brayden Snow)
(Harpreet Singh)
(Rizwan Shahid)
(Gordon Petersen)
(Tracey Hamm)
(Zheng Dou)
(Toby Bellis)
(Chris Kanizsai)