Aug. 17--OGDEN -- Red moon at night, photographer's delight.
And that goes for the orange sunsets of early evening as well.
Utah's multiple wildfires are seriously endangering homes and the safety of firefighters. And the smoke is making life miserable for those with asthma and other breathing disorders.
But the single "silver lining" may be the golden skyscapes on display every night.
"For me, it's an opportunity," said Ogden photographer Jeffrey Favero, known for his local landscapes and cityscapes. "The summer wildfires cause harm to nature and property. But it's also a time to celebrate a photographic opportunity offered by nature."
The abundance of orange is related to extra airborne particles, said Lisa Verzella, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, Salt Lake City office.
"It basically has to do with the wavelengths that are in light," she said. "There are different wavelengths for each color of the rainbow, and the longest wavelengths belong to red, so it passes through and does not get absorbed by smoke."
Violets, blues and greens have much shorter wavelengths, and are more easily scattered by particles in the air, she said.
"Our smoke is pretty concentrated right now, especially in the upper atmosphere," Verzella said. "If the fires are brought under control and we get thunderstorms or winds, the smoke will clear. So enjoy the sunsets while they are here."
The golds and umbers are most intense at sunset because we are looking through more pollution, said Ron Proctor, from Weber State University's Ott Planetarium.
"On a clear day when the moon is rising, it looks yellow or even orange, due to the same effect that makes sunsets happen," Proctor said. "The sun looks white or pale yellow in the middle of the day, when it is directly overhead. At sunset, you are looking at the sun as it is farther away, and viewing it through more of our atmosphere. You are looking through more smoke or pollution to see it. The more particles you are looking through, the greater the effect."
Proctor drove from a higher elevation to a lower one on Thursday night, and noticed the moon looked a lot more orange as he descended.
"Going down in altitude, there was more smoke above me, so more of the blues and greens that are part of white light were blocked out," he said.
Robert Brown, a Utah State University chemistry and biochemistry professor, speculated that most of the smoke he is seeing is from the Millville Fire in Cache County.
"We had a science retreat Thursday night, and we all noticed how orange the moon was," he said. "One professor was also having trouble breathing because of all the particulates in the air. You can read all about Rayleigh scattering on the Internet, and on how particulates scatter the blue light."
As for Brown, he's enjoying the scented air.
"It sure smells good at night when I go to sleep," he said. "When I was a kid living in the East, they used to burn leaves. I miss that fall smell."
Favero said he has taken some of his favorite photos during Utah's previous wildfire seasons.
"A lot of these summer wildfires are nature driven, and started by lightning," he said. "That's something we have to accept and deal with. Hopefully, there's something that comes out of it that we can enjoy. It's a good time for anyone with a camera. Sometimes even a cellphone can capture a sunset. You might not get the full effect you would get from a good camera, but the photos are something you can enjoy.
"And there's a full moon on Tuesday," Favero said. "It should be a good show."
Copyright 2013 - Standard-Examiner, Ogden, Utah
