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Darlene Macdonald captured this picture of the sky over Perth Academy.  It looks like it wouldn't go amiss in a science fiction movie! < >

Darlene Macdonald captured this picture of the sky over Perth Academy. It looks like it wouldn't go amiss in a science fiction movie!

By Darlene Macdonald

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Gavin Prime snapped this picture of the burning sky above Perthshire.

Gavin Prime snapped this picture of the burning sky above Perthshire.

By Gavin Prime
Emma Louise Lang took this picture where the sky looks like something out of a sci-fi movie!

Emma Louise Lang took this picture where the sky looks like something out of a sci-fi movie!

By Emma Louise Lang
Ian Simpson's picture of the sky looks like a vibrant oil painting.

Ian Simpson's picture of the sky looks like a vibrant oil painting.

By Ian Simpson
Deborah Dickson took this beautiful image of the sky over the North Inch in Perth.

Deborah Dickson took this beautiful image of the sky over the North Inch in Perth.

By Deborah Dickson
Leska Karolina took this image where the sky looks like a burning inferno!

Leska Karolina took this image where the sky looks like a burning inferno!

By Leska Karolina
Claire Gordon captured this beautiful image of the sky over Luncarty.

Claire Gordon captured this beautiful image of the sky over Luncarty.

By Claire Gordon
Craig Ross snapped a pic of the sky burning bright orange over Friar Street in Craigie in Perth.

Craig Ross snapped a pic of the sky burning bright orange over Friar Street in Craigie in Perth.

By Craig Ross
Dimski Dimsum got this stunning image of the sky at lower Luncarty.

Dimski Dimsum got this stunning image of the sky at lower Luncarty.

By Dimski Dimsum
Catherine McFie captured this colourful image of the Kaleidoscope Sky at Inchyra.

Catherine McFie captured this colourful image of the Kaleidoscope Sky at Inchyra.

By Catherine McFie
Rosemary Gibb captured the sky on the Dunkeld Road in Perth.

Rosemary Gibb captured the sky on the Dunkeld Road in Perth.

By Rosemary Gibb
Marysia Macfarlane took this picture of the burning sky over Moulin Crescent in Letham Perth.

Marysia Macfarlane took this picture of the burning sky over Moulin Crescent in Letham Perth.

By Marysia Macfarlane
Kaleidoscope sky over Drummond House captured by Andrew Douglas.

Kaleidoscope sky over Drummond House captured by Andrew Douglas.

By Andrew Douglas
Lynsey Gallacher captured this strange but true image of the sky over Coupar Angus!

Lynsey Gallacher captured this strange but true image of the sky over Coupar Angus!

By Lynsey Gallacher
Gordon Muir captured this  image of the sky in North Muirton.  It looks like it's on fire as it burns vibrant shades of orange and red.

Gordon Muir captured this image of the sky in North Muirton. It looks like it's on fire as it burns vibrant shades of orange and red.

By Gordon Muir
A burst of colourful clouds from the light blue evening sky captured by Rachel Scott.

A burst of colourful clouds from the light blue evening sky captured by Rachel Scott.

By Rachel Scott
Michael Souter captured the burning sky reflecting on the River Tay.

Michael Souter captured the burning sky reflecting on the River Tay.

By Michael Souter
Jasmine McInnes captured this amazing red sky at night. An explosion of colour seen through the forest clearing in Perthshire.

Jasmine McInnes captured this amazing red sky at night. An explosion of colour seen through the forest clearing in Perthshire.

By Jasmine McInnes

Gorgeous skies over Perth

01 November 2018

The break of dawn and the sun’s dusk descent have long been sources of artistic inspiration, from poetry to paintings. The sky is a commons – irrespective of where you are in the world, we all share the same endless sky: it’s free and freeing. A beautiful sky is something that everyone can appreciate.

Last week we had gorgeous skies in Perth – honey soaked clouds and fuchsia pinks lit up areas, while melancholy blues and introspective purple haze descended over others. We asked you to send in your photos, and received a huge response! So here is a collection of just some of these beautiful images.

Maybe you’ve wondered: what is it that makes certain days and nights have such notably picturesque skies? Broadly, the answer is that it is a mixture of air, light and clouds.

During sunrise and sunset, the light from the sun has to reach through a lot more of our atmosphere before it reaches our eyes. As a result of this, it comes into contact with an increased number of molecules in the air. These molecules both scatter blue light while emphasizing reds and oranges, giving us our classic orange-y sunsets.

However, the drier, clearer and less polluted the air, more colours of the spectrum make it to our eyes before being scattered away by these molecules. So on days where the air is particularly clear, the blue light merges with the red and orange tones to create vivid, striking colours in the sky. This also explains why we tend to see more glorious skies around Autumn, when the air is crisp and clear.

Clouds are important here, too. The higher the cloud, the more likely it is to receive the sun’s light without attracting dust and pollutants that dull its glow. Ice crystals in the cloud scatter and reflect light, causing the glow you see in many of these pictures.

Perhaps you’ve heard the saying, ‘Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight; red sky in morning, shepherds take warning’. This is actually backed by science! Pure red skies in morning can be indicative of a high water content in the atmosphere – in other words, rain abound.

Thanks again to everyone who sent in photos. Hopefully there will be many more clear skies ahead for us to enjoy.

GALLERY PHOTOGRAPHERS

Thanks to: Gavin Prime, Emma Louise Lang, Ian Simpson, Deborah Dickson, Leska Karolina, Claire Gordon, Craig Ross, Dimski Dimsum, Catherine McFie, Rosemary Gibb, Marysia Macfarlane, Andrew Douglas, Lynsey Gallacher, Gordon Muir, Darlene Macdonald, Rachel Scott, Michael Souter, and Jasmine McInnes.