Why Does Wildfire Smoke Turn The Sky Red?

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How Wildfire Smoke Turns The Sky A Radiant Red At Sunrise And Sunset

The same light scattering that makes our daytime sky blue intensifies during smoke events, as larger particles allow the dramatic reds and oranges to dominate dawn and dusk. By Miriam Guthrie • 2 hours ago

Wildfire Smoke Blows Into US

“Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning," as the old saying goes. But what about glowing, hazy red skies at both sunrise and sunset? They could be a sign of poor air quality from wildfire smoke.

Smoke from wildfires often creates eye-catching red sunsets and sunrises. But how?

To understand this, we must first start by understanding why the sky is blue. The blue color of the sky is caused by the scattering of su