WEST MICHIGAN — Have you noticed lots of reds and deep oranges in the early morning and evening skies?
The concentration of smoke particles in the atmosphere from the wildfires in Canada that produces the smoky haze during the day is creating the reds and deep oranges in the sky during sunrises and sunsets.
Here's how it works:
Smoke from wildfires causes red sunrises and sunsets due to a process called Mie scattering, where larger particles in the smoke scatter longer wavelengths of light, like red and orange, more effectively than shorter wavelengths. When the sun is low on the horizon during sunrise and sunset, its light passes through more of the atmosphere, and the smoke particles scatter away the blue and violet light, leaving the red and orange hues to reach our eyes.
For the latest details on the weather in West Michigan, head to the FOX 17 Weather page.
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