When elevated particles - Sahara dust carried to Europe, wildfire haze, or urban aerosols - fill the atmosphere, they scatter and diffuse direct sunlight during golden hour. Instead of the harsh, contrasty light of a clear day, the sun produces a warm, dreamy glow that wraps around subjects and softens shadows. Photographers who chase this light know it produces some of the most flattering landscape and portrait conditions imaginable.
Inverza monitors Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) as the primary signal, sourced from the Open-Meteo Air Quality API. The sweet spot is AOD 0.35-0.75: enough particles to noticeably soften the light, but not so many that the sun turns grey and murky. PM10 and mineral dust concentration provide supporting signals - high dust confirms a Sahara-type event. This condition uses terrain-adjusted sunrise/sunset because direct illumination must actually reach the landscape.
