British skygazers have been left baffled by an almost apocalyptic vision in the sky.
Across the country, people watched in confusion as the sky, sun, and moon all turned a deep blood red.
Keen skygazers flocked to social media to share photos of the strange event, with one confused commenter calling it ‘totally nuts and spooky’.
Before you panic that the red skies could be a sign that the world is about to end, thankfully there’s a simple explanation.
Experts say the sudden change in Britain’s sky is actually due to wildfires over 4,000 miles away in North America.
Skywatchers in the UK were treated to stunning sunsets this weekend as the sun itself appeared to turn bright red as pictured here over St Albans
On social media, some commenters were baffled as the sun appeared to change colour without any explanation on Sunday
On Sunday, many around the country were surprised to notice that the sun had suddenly become dark red, seemingly without explanation.
One skywatcher wrote on X that the sun ‘literally turned red at sunset’, adding that they had ‘never seen anything like it in my life’.
Others reported spotting ‘unreal’ sunsets from Portsmouth to Birmingham.
While this event is certainly rare, there is nothing unnatural about these strange visions.
Andrea Bishop, a Met Office spokesperson, told MailOnline: ‘Vivid and dramatic looking sunrise and sunsets were spotted in the UK, in part, due to a layer of wildfire smoke that’s been present in the upper atmosphere this weekend.’
Throughout this summer, wildfires have raged across the US and Canada sending masses of smoke particles rising into the upper atmosphere.
Ms Bishop adds: ‘Smoke particles from wildfires across the Atlantic have been carried over by the jet stream.’
Over London, skywatchers spotted the sun dramatically change colour and take on a strange red appearance in the afternoon
These images of the red sun were caused by the buildup of smoke particles from North American wildfires in the upper atmosphere as pictured here in Manchester
This photo, taken in Birmingham, shows how smoke in the atmosphere scatters short-wavelength light so that we can only see the red part of the spectrum
The jet stream is a fast-moving current hundreds of miles wide which runs about five to seven miles above Earth.
The smoke that is reaching the UK is being carried by the Polar Jet Stream which is triggered by the collision of cool air from the North and warm air from the South.
This stream changes intensity and path throughout the year but is currently blowing directly from North America to Britain, leading to a build-up of smoke particles in the atmosphere.
Thankfully these particles are too high up to be a risk to anyone’s health but they do result in some strange and spectacular sunsets.
When light from the Sun arrives at Earth it contains a relatively even balance of frequencies from across the visible spectrum.
However, as that light collides with smoke particles in the air, some of the light is scattered in a process called diffusion.
This image from the Copernicus weather satellite shows how the smoke in the jet stream will travel by 6pm tonight
Thankfully the smoke in the atmosphere is too high up to harm our health so we can safely enjoy the stunning sunsets it creates like this one in Portsmouth
Because the smoke particles are very small, more of the shorter wavelengths such as blue and green are scattered while long wavelengths like red and yellow pass through.
So, from Earth, when we see the sun we are only seeing the red part of its light spectrum which gives it its unusual colour.
Similar effects occur during intense Saharan dust storms called ‘Scirocco’ events in which desert dust diffuses the sunlight.
Winds whipping over the desert can carry fine dust high into the atmosphere where strong winds can occasionally drive it over the UK.
In 2023, some Britons woke up to a red dawn, hazy skies, and found a thin coating of dust over their cars.
The Met Office says the sun may continue to appear bright red until this evening. Pictured, the sun photographed from Merseyside
Ms Bishop says: ‘This weekend’s smoke is expected to diffuse by tomorrow morning but you might just get a chance to see more dramatic views this evening.’
That red hue will be particularly good news for any budding stargazers since tonight is also a rare blue supermoon.
A supermoon appears slightly larger than normal because our lunar satellite is at the closest point to Earth in its orbit, also called the perigee.
During tonight’s supermoon, the moon will appear up to 14 per cent larger and 30 per cent brighter than normal.
However, the combination of red skies and a ‘blue’ moon will not result in any stunning purple combination.
That is because the term ‘blue moon’ just refers to the fact that this is the third full moon of the month and has nothing to do with the colour.
However, with some lingering atmospheric smoke this supermoon should still appear bright and colourful this evening.
