Question:  I thought I understood the reason for sunset colors.  However, when
viewing a video of an eclipse, I noticed that the sky turned sunset colors 
on the horizon just prior to the eclipse.  Since the rays are going 
through the same amount of atmosphere as they were a few moments before
why would the colors change?
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Answer:  Before the eclipse, light striking your eye from the DIRECTION of the
horizon has not traveled the long path from the horizon.  Much
of that light came vertically through the atmosphere and was scattered into
the horizontal direction.  When the vertical intensity is reduced, you see
more of the light that traveled over a long horizontal path.