Last night was quite an unusual one-while it was a night of the new moon (and should have been dark) the night sky was quite bright, so much so that the stars were dim by comparison. The clouds at the zenith point were a dark red color. What is the explanation of this-is it atmospheric scattering of streetlights and building lights? I don’t think that there is an auroral activity this far south (I live around 20 miles west of Boston, MA). In meteorological textbooks I have seen reference to “Noctilucent Clouds”-these are dust clouds very high up in the atmosphere-so high that they catch the sun’s light long after sunset-I have never seen them-could that be what I was seeing? Usually nights without a moon are pitch black. Anybody know why the night sky (around 9:00 PM) could be so bright?
It’s definitely light pollution! It can be anything from the lights of your local “strip” littered with fast food places, etc. to the lights of downtown Boston itself. Living only 20 miles outside Boston is NOT far enough away from the lights of the city.
The clouds are just picking up the stray light. But, even without those clouds to bring it to your attention, stray light is still cheating you! For even more beautiful starry skies, drive out to Lenox, MA for example!
“They’re coming to take me away ha-ha, ho-ho, hee-hee, to the funny farm where life is beautiful all the time… :)” - Napoleon IV