Incredible images of skies turning pink in Antarctica

This phenomenon of afterglowcalled “afterglow” in English, was photographed by science technician Stuart Shaw, stationed at Base Scott for a New Zealand research agency. The scientist assures that he did not retouch the colors in the photos and that the event is all the more extraordinary that at this time of the year, winter in the southern hemispherethe Antarctic sky is completely black for much of the day.

Exactly as in the case of skies of fire which sometimes occur anywhere in the world during the passage of a thunderstorm or clouds showers at sunset Sunthe more particles there are in theatmosphere, the more spectacular the colors. In the case of Antarctica, it isaerosols from Tonga volcano, mainly sulphate. This is a volcano submarine, which also ejected water vapor, in addition to dust. All this matter in the atmosphere allows the light of the sun to diffuse more, and in a more flamboyant way.

Pink skies appeared six months after the volcanic eruption

The eruption of the Tonga volcano occurred in January and yet it was only several months after that the sky changed color to New Zealand, then to Antarctica. Aerosols can indeed circulate in the atmosphere for months after an eruption, and thus have incredible consequences on the color of the sky of the neighboring regions for long periods intermittently: the eruption of the Tonga volcano occurred at 7,000 kilometers from the base in Antarctica where these photos were taken!

Aerosols from a volcanic eruption can travel through the atmosphere for months. © Stuart Show/Fly On The Wall