Pictures: No It's Not The End Of The World… How Sheffield Reacted To The Red Sun
- Stephen Gibbs
- Oct 16, 2017
- 2 min read
People in Sheffield were left baffled this morning by the sky's 'sepia tone' and the suns unusual colour, the strange phenomenon was first reported across England and Wales early on Monday morning as commuters were heading out to work.
Credit: KhudeejaKashif - snapchat user
Many theories have surfaced as to the cause the most popular being that Storm Ophelia, the storm that has hit Ireland recently is the culprit. Some even proclaiming it’s a sign of the apocalypse. Luckily we can put away our rations and leave our bunkers as according to the Met Office the ominous colours have been caused by Saharan dust swept up by Storm Ophelia.
Met Office forecaster Grahame Madge said the former hurricane is picking up Saharan dust from southern Europe and Africa. This dust is reflected and refracted in longer wavelengths than usual giving the a red effect in the sky.
"Air is being pulled from southern Europe and Africa and that air contains a lot of dust.
"It's most likely the appearance of sunset at midday is caused by the particles scattering the light and giving the appearance of a red sun."
"It's certainly spectacular at the moment and quite a talking point; we've had a lot of calls about it."
The unusual sky certainly caught people's attention here in the steel city as many took to social media to share their photos of the bizarre scenery.
Credit: Josh Severn - Snapchat User
Credit: Ryhan - Snapchat User
Credit: Julie Muston - Twitter User
Credit: Nelly Naylor Photography - Twitter User
Credit: University of Sheffield
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