Canadian authorities have evacuated Yellowknife, the largest city in the far north of the country, due to wildfires, as the sky in the region turned red amidst air pollution from heavy smoke and fire emissions. The sky above the town of Fort Smith in Canada exhibited a striking red-orange hue as a result of nearby wildfires.
Scientifically, the sky can appear red or orange when there is smoke from wildfires due to the scattering of sunlight or "wavelengths" in the atmosphere. Sunlight contains all the colors of the rainbow. When sunlight passes through the Earth's atmosphere, particles present in the air reflect specific "wavelengths." On a clear day, shorter "wavelengths," such as green, blue, and violet, are not reflected, making the sky appear blue during the day. However, when there are smoke particles in the air, the shorter "wavelengths" are reflected, while longer "wavelengths" such as red, orange, and yellow are not. Thus, smoke from wildfires can cause the sky to look orange or red.
Currently, over a thousand wildfires are active in Canada, including around 230 wildfires in the Northwest Territories, highlighting the extreme heat affecting the northern hemisphere. Canada is experiencing massive wildfires this summer, with flames spreading rapidly across the country and consuming large areas of land, forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes.
