Blood Red Sky Phenomenon Explained: Shanghai Skies Scare People, But Is This Just a Light Refraction?

A creepy background scene of a blood-red sky over a Chinese city has been reported to have sparked fear among citizens there.

As a Daily Star report specified, a video captured by residents in Zhoushan, a COVID-19-hit port city of Shanghai in China, reveals that the night sky turns into orange-red hues among a thick layer of fog.

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Some children can even be heard telling their parents they are scared. This red sky phenomenon can be seen throughout the entire city for hours since Saturday evening, May 7.

Since the videos went viral on Douyin, a China-based TikTok-like social media platform, people were worried that it could be a bad omen associated with the ongoing battle against COVID-19 in the region.

Blood-Red Sky

What was witnessed in the video was a "blood-red color" that does not look good at all," an individual said, while another one wrote that there will be "an earthquake in seven days."

The latter mentioned that it is not normal to see the sky turning red in relation to the prediction. On the other hand, a third commenter said, "doomsday is coming."

Other observers attempted to brush off the negative thinking, saying the red color represents their country, suggesting essentiality, "good luck and prosperity."

The meteorological bureau of Zhoushan has since responded to the speculations and clarified that it was not an object that can be considered "supernatural."

The spokesperson also said that day was very foggy and clouds formed at a low altitude. The representative also said, such a phenomenon is caused by light refraction.

Mirage-Like Phenomenon

State-owned media CCTV said a local fishing firm verified that the light refraction was coming from one of their fishing boats.

The company's deputy manager also said the red lights, in particular, came from their fishing boats. They had them turned on when they were catching saury.

The red light refracted from the water and projected to the sky, resulting in a mirage-like phenomenon. This is very common, specifically around coastal areas.

The Zhoushan meteorological bureau released a "low visibility" yellow warning from the occurrence on Saturday evening until Sunday morning, when the red sky went back to normal.

What Does Light Refraction Mean?

Refraction of light refers to when light travels in one direction; it's following a straight path while bending.

Essentially, refraction is the key aspect of the light falling breath, the "ray optics." It is important that one understands the notion of refraction of light and its related components.

In simple terms, refraction is the bending of light when passing from one transparent substance to another. It happens too, with water, sound, and other waves.

Because of this bending, which causes the refraction of light, it can have magnifying glasses, lenses, prisms, and windows. A Leverage Edu report specified that humans' eyes would not be able to focus, minus the refraction of light.

Blood Red Sky Phenomenon Explained

The blood-red sky phenomenon is explained in Discover as the notion of the red sky at night employed to gather stunning images of vibrant sunsets, the outcome of "warm sunlight" that bathes the sky close to the horizon.

Essentially, the red sky in the evening adage, the so-called "sailor's delight," pertains to a calm night ahead; a red sunset proposes a high-pressure system in the west is taking in calm weather.

However, the red skies in the evening have taken on a new meaning in recent years. As outdoor lighting becomes increasingly prominent, the night skies gradually become black instead of the original red color.

Until recently, night skies were quite dark. The only major light source was the Moon, allowing observers to see thousands of individual stars and the wide, glowing swath of Milky Way through the skies.

A report about the blood sky in China is shown on FA Weather's YouTube video below:

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