Starship Asterisk*

can anyone explain why the sunset in this image is so far below the sun with normal sky between? I understand the physics of the red color at sunset, light scattering, etc. but can't figure this one out. I don't think there was a fire in that direction (it's not fire season here) but I guess it's possible-- calfire doesn't have any incidents on their websites.
The image was taken yesterday, about 1 hour and 15 minutes before actual sunset, about 5 miles east of Chico, CA. Sorry for the poor quality; it is through the windshield of my car going 70 mph with my cellphone. lol
TIA
Nik

My two cents is that this is completely normal but the cloud cover has done a special thing for you by both dimming the sun and not extending to the horizon. So what you've got here is a giant sun shield which is allowing you to see the horizon more clearly. Any old dust or low lying pollution could cause the scattering so there's no need for a fire.

You might look at the image here: http://www.atoptics.co.uk/atoptics/sunset2.htm

Hope that helps!