I just walked outside (about 1:24pm here) and noticed something a little “off”. Usually the sun just sprays clear light all over the streets and trees outside my house, but as I walked out, the tint of the road in front of me, the driveway, the trees, everything, was a little bit yellow-y orange. It’s something you probably wouldn’t really notice unless you really stared, but I can see something different in the light. It looks almost as how the sun’s light appears at dusk or dawn, but the rest of the sky is too bright.
The first thing I figured is that there may be something between the Earth and the Sun right now that is distorting the light just a bit, but IANAA so I have no idea.
What might be causing this phenomenon? It’s one of those days where the sky isn’t quite blue, but there are thin clouds all over the sky. I live in a small city in Canada, no smog, so that can’t be it.
Probably more in your head than an actually quality of the light. Human eyesight is terrible judging absolutes, like color and brightness. Perceptions are fairly easily distorted, as any number of optical illusions can attest. I know of no current unusual atmospheric conditions, like a major volcanic eruption or something that might account for what you are seeing.
I once had an experience something like that. I was at my computer at sunset and looked outside my window to see the landscape in an unusually richly colored light. The effect diminished after a minute or two. I finally realized I had been looking at something blue-green on my monitor. This fatigued those receptors and made everything look even more orange than they really were. Is this a possibility?
I doubt that the farmers start collecting their crop when the wheat is still green So that’s a no-no. It’s not windy either so I doubt any dust is doing this. You never know though, your proclamation seems the most believable so far.
I stared at it for a long time, thinking that maybe it was my eyes, and they would adjust after a minute. It never really came clear to me though. Though I was staring at my monitor for some time, rowrrbazzle before I went out. Any comformation on the effect of the colours on a monitor doing stuff like this. It’s still strange though, because this is the first time it’s ever happened, and I’ve been on my computer and gone outside on previous occasions without this effect.
That’s happened to me before, sitting outside and just chatting with friends. . . and realizing the sun has taken on a more orangey glow as reflected off objects outdoors. So, it’s not just you.
There’s only one thing that can get in the way between the sun and the earth and large enough to change the appearance of the sun: the moon. But we only have two solar eclipses this year, one in May and one in November, so that’s not it.
That leaves physchological, physiological and atmospheric causes. I’m not an expert on these, but my WAG is that it’s some sort of atmospheric phenomenon. Perhaps a change in wind that brought in an unusual amount of airborne dust?
We get the same effect where I live in summer. It is due to a lot of dust and smoke entering the atmosphere leading to scattering of light. It gives the place an eerie orange hue in the middle of the day.
I know there are big bushfires in Europe at the moment and severe drought (I hear temperatures have even hit the high 20’s - ouch). That may be the source, if the particles crossed the Atlantic. Are conditions droughtlike in Canada at the moment?
I’m with Duckster and have been experiencing the same thing for the last few days. It’s smoke, not enough to look smokey, just enough to tinge the light.
So that’s a no-no. It’s not windy either so I doubt any dust is doing this. You never know though, your proclamation seems the most believable so far.