Have you ever wondered why the sky is usually blue? Well, it all has to do with atmospheric scattering, which is the process by which light from the sun bounces off the molecules of air in our atmosphere. This phenomenon causes the higher-energy colors with shorter wavelengths, such as blue light, to scatter more readily, giving the sky its characteristic blue color.
However, smoke from Canadian wildfires can impact the color of the sky by scattering both orange and red light due to its larger particle size compared to air molecules. This leads to an unusual and surreal orange hue in the sky that we typically only associate with sunset hours.
During sunset, sunlight has to travel through more air, causing almost all shorter wavelengths to disperse, leaving behind longer wavelengths – the reddish colors – that are less likely to be disturbed by the atmosphere. As a result, the sun appears to be more reddish-orange, which along with the scattered orange and red light, accounts for the colorful sky during periods of heavy haze.
So, next time you see an orange or red sky during wildfire season, you’ll know it’s because of this natural process.
