The smoke from the fires in the west shrouds Quebec in such a thick veil that the sun appears red, even higher in the sky, much to the delight of amateur astronomers. But experts warn that precautions are in order to watch out for it.
“It’s so impressive, it looks like an apocalyptic blood sun!” », says Nathalie Ouellet, an astrophysicist at the University of Montreal.
If the sun were to adopt such a bright red color, it would scatter the smog particles and blue light that currently surround Quebec. They mainly allow red light to pass through, which reaches our eye, she explains.
The moon has also taken on an orange hue over the past few nights. The green moon and sun have caused a stir on social networks, especially on the Facebook group Amateur Astronomers of Quebec, where numerous photos have been shared since Wednesday evening.
Environment Canada meteorologist Dominique Martel indicated that smoke should be in the province’s atmosphere on Friday, at least in southern Quebec on Saturday, which will be blown away by an influx of winds from the south.
Photo by Stéphane Chartier, Facebook, Amateur Astronomy Group of Quebec
The moon has also taken on an orange hue over the past few nights.
To be observed moderately and low on the horizon
While observing the moon is harmless, looking at the sun with the naked eye can be dangerous to the retina, especially when it is high in the sky.
“With a cell phone, there’s no risk – except for the lens melting if it’s plastic,” underlines the director of the planetarium, Oliver Hernandez. “But you shouldn’t look at your cell phone with your eyes!” »
But when the sun is low on the horizon, in the early morning or at dusk, “there’s a very dense atmosphere, because of this smog, you could say a little bit safer than usual,” says Nathalie Ouellet.
The expert urges you to be careful and not stare at it for long minutes. But if it’s very red and close to the horizon, “you can take a few glances at it,” he adds.
Sunspots in view
In addition to its bright red color, the Sun currently presents some special features: we can see small black dots on its surface. No, not Mercury or Venus going in front of it, but sunspots, witness to its strong solar activity.
“Furthermore, it is from these sunspots that the eruptions that cause the northern lights now originate,” the researcher underlines. “You still have to have an eagle eye to see these spots without magnification, but at this time the sun is less dazzling than usual so we can see such detail,” he adds.
With or without smoke, these sunspots on the surface of the Sun can be observed without risk using eclipse glasses.
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