Answered by Expert：At sunrise and sunset, the sun is near the horizon. The rays of light from the upper part and lower part of the periphery of the sun bend unequally on travelling through earth's atmosphere. That is why the sun appears oval or flattened at the time of sunrise and sunset.
At noon, the sun is overhead. The rays of light from the sun enter earth's atmosphere normally. Therefore, they suffer no refraction or bending on passing through earth's atmosphere. Hence the sun appears circular at noon.
