This weekend, the skies over the UK turned vivid shades of red due to smoke from wildfires in North America. The smoke, carried across the Atlantic by the jet stream, created dramatic sunsets and sunrises across the country, reports the BBC.
The colorful displays should continue until Monday, when weather changes are expected to clear the smoke from the atmosphere.
The jet stream, which influences much of the UK’s weather, helped spread the smoke high into the atmosphere, causing the unusual colors.
BBC forecaster Gareth Burleigh-Harvey explained that the smoke particles scattered sunlight, resulting in the striking red, brown, and orange hues seen this weekend.
Fortunately, the smoke is high up and poses no health risks, and it is expected to clear by Tuesday.
In addition to the spectacular skies, the UK will also experience a rare event on Monday night—a blue supermoon.
Despite its name, the moon won’t actually appear blue but will be noticeably larger and brighter than usual because it is closer to Earth.
This combination of a supermoon and a blue moon hasn’t been seen since August of last year, and the next occurrence is not expected until 2037, according to the BBC.
Credit : BBC
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crkm2vpy7g6o