Wildfires are currently raging across the United States and wreaking havoc. They have also turned the skies a surreal orange-red that conjure up visions of the apocalypse. Comparisons have also been made to Mars, the film “Blade Runner 2049” and the shows “Stranger Things” and “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”

Parts of Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona and Utah are currently under critical and elevated risk of fire weather, according to the National Weather Service and people going outside are also encouraged to check their local AQI (air quality index) to determine if the air is safe.

According to NASA, the colour-changing skies are a result of smoke particles, which block certain wavelength colours from the sun:

 

The smoke particles from the fires allow sunlight’s longer wavelength colors like red and orange to get through while blocking the shorter wavelengths of yellow, blue and green. Those longer wavelengths give the sky a red or orange tinted appearance. Similarly, during sunrise and sunset times when the sun is near the horizon, sunlight has to travel through more of Earth’s atmosphere to get to you. The additional atmosphere filters out the shorter wavelengths and allows the longer wavelengths to get through, providing reds and oranges during those times. [source]

 

Below you will find some amazing shots shared on reddit and Twitter along with a surreal video of San Francisco captured by a drone. Be safe!