SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Smoky air cast an orange shade over the Bay Area sun and skies Tuesday morning, leaving people to wonder what 2020 is bringing us now.
It may look ominous, but it wasn’t the sign of anything bad incoming. Superstitions aside, KRON4 Meteorologist John Shrable says we’re seeing the yellowish-orange hue because of a smoky layer of air that will begin to settle down.
Here’s some more science if you’re unconvinced:
The Royal Society of Chemistry says reddish skies are common when fires are burning — it’s because smoke particles scatter sunlight in a way that we see red.
Due to the size of smoke particles, they are better at scattering long wavelengths of red light. Normally, blue light’s short wavelengths are much easier to scatter when there are regular amounts of nitrogen and oxygen in the air, according to the RSC.