Haze, smoke give orange glow to full moon

Some spots may see a faint orange glow to full moon

Photo Credit: Peter Forister

BLACKSBURG, Va.Peter Forister, a meteorology student at Virginia Tech, is known for taking great photos of storms and the landscape around us. 

Sunday night, he caught the full moon with an orange glow cast over it. 

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No, it's not a lunar eclipse. In fact, we can attribute this glow seen in some spots to the haze and limited wildfire smoke in the upper levels of the atmosphere. The moon's light, passing through the fine haze and smoke particles, can oftentimes lead to a faint yellow/orange glow.

Winds out of the northwest at airplane level can transport the smoke from Canadian wildfires down into our neck of the woods.

Fortunately, the smoke concentration isn't very heavy. Still, air quality levels are moderate for Sunday and more than likely on Monday. Those that suffer from heart or lung conditions may want to limit time outdoors, just in case. No air quality alerts are in effect.


About the Author:

Meteorologist Chris Michaels is an American Meteorological Society (AMS) Certified Broadcaster, forecasting weather conditions in southwest Virginia on WSLS 10 News from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays on Virginia Today.