Over the last few days, as the waxing moon approached its full stage, our lone natural satellite has taken on an orange hue here in Metro Denver. Looking like a giant pumpkin, it has hovered over the Eastern Plains in early evening and loomed above the Front Range peaks at sunrise.
The cause for its beautiful yet mysterious appearance is simple. The moonlight is shining through a smoky haze that has settled across the Colorado Piedmont. Extensive wildfires in Idaho and Montana are the source of the smoke, which moved southward within an atmospheric trough. While the latter brought welcome, cooler air to the urban corridor, the smoke has greatly diminished the visibility and has produced a significant health risk for those with pulmonary disease.
While the wildfires continue to burn, winds are expected to shift back to the southwest in the coming days, bringing heat back to the Front Range but clearing out the smoke. Of course, our pumpkin moon will then lose its colorful tinge.
The cause for its beautiful yet mysterious appearance is simple. The moonlight is shining through a smoky haze that has settled across the Colorado Piedmont. Extensive wildfires in Idaho and Montana are the source of the smoke, which moved southward within an atmospheric trough. While the latter brought welcome, cooler air to the urban corridor, the smoke has greatly diminished the visibility and has produced a significant health risk for those with pulmonary disease.
While the wildfires continue to burn, winds are expected to shift back to the southwest in the coming days, bringing heat back to the Front Range but clearing out the smoke. Of course, our pumpkin moon will then lose its colorful tinge.
