Residents of a city in Zhejiang province, China, were shocked to see the night sky turn blood-red last week. The phenomenon invoked the local meteorological department to investigate the reason.
The shocking spectacle occurred around 8 pm. Chinese social media went abuzz with videos and pictures of the red sky, with some claiming it to be supernatural. However, researchers rejected the claims.
It has been revealed that the red sky was caused by a fishing boat testing its lights before going out to the sea.
Rayleigh Scattering
The scientists said the boat’s red light underwent a phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering as it encountered particles in the atmosphere, reported Yahoo News. The particles were much smaller than the wavelength of light, scattering illumination in different directions.
It’s not the first time that something like this has happened as similar events reportedly occurred in the city’s Putuo district on May 7, 2022, and in Fuzhou, Fujian province, on May 10, 2022.
