"Red Sky At Night...Sailor's Delight..."

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Red Sky At Night...

By Brandon Butcher

Story Published: Mar 18, 2007 at 5:42 PM EST

Story Updated: Mar 25, 2007 at 4:31 PM EST

"Red Sky at Night...Sailor's Delight...Red Sky at Morning...Sailor's Warning..."
This bit of folklore is most often useful when over the open water, where one can see very large distances into the horizon in all directions (especially toward sunrise and sunset). When the sun is at either horizon, it geometrically has to shine through the most atmosphere to get to the viewer. Along its way, air molecules and particles 'scatter out' the blue lights of the sun's rays (hence the diffuse blue sky we see)... The more dust and particles (and air) in the way of the Sun's rays on its way to the viewer, the redder the Sunlight becomes when it is viewed.

Here's where the weather comes in: Under times of fair weather (most often under areas of 'high' pressure), air particules and dust (whatever really) are pushed lower to the ground, essentially concentrating them there. This provides the most 'stuff' to mess with the Sun's rays and give us the reddest direct sunlight, indeed often coloring that side of the sky red. Now, when this red sky is toward the West, it is assumed that high pressure is off to the west. Since weather in the Northern Hemisphere usually travels from West-to-East, one can infer that better weather is on the way. However, if this 'red sky' is to the East (therefore illuminated in the morning), the high pressure is instead over toward the East, assumed to be departing the viewer with low pressure (worse weather) to follow.

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