Wildfire smoke has engulfed parts of Southern California, creating an eerie orange hue in the skies since the fires broke out on Wednesday. Social media has been flooded with videos capturing the surreal sight, with one particularly striking video showing the effect in Mandalay Beach in Oxnard, California.
So, what exactly is causing this phenomenon?
Wildfire smoke, much like how clear air makes the sky appear blue, alters the color of the sky due to the presence of tiny particles in the air. The color we perceive is a result of how these particles interact with sunlight, which contains all colors of the spectrum.
When sunlight encounters these particles in the atmosphere, certain wavelengths are blocked while others pass through. In the case of wildfire smoke, shorter wavelengths such as yellow, green, and blue are absorbed, allowing only red and orange hues to filter through, hence the orange skies.
This optical effect is most pronounced during sunrise and sunset when the sun is positioned low on the horizon. The sunlight has to traverse a greater distance through the atmosphere before reaching our eyes, intensifying the colors and making the smoke appear denser in the air.
As a result, residents in the affected areas have been witnessing a surreal and almost post-apocalyptic scene, with the sky painted in shades of orange and red, serving as a stark reminder of the ongoing wildfire crisis in the region.
