Red sky in morning 1
Red skies in morning #1

I was up early having my usual first morning cup of coffee when I glanced out the window and saw the morning sky on fire. Grabbing a camera I took a few shots from our porch. Certainly nothing original in these images but beautiful none-the-less.

I’ve always regretted not living in a better location for viewing either sunrises or sunsets but the conditions this morning were such that it was still spectacular.

Red skies in morning 2
Red skies in morning #2
Of course the old adage “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in morning sailor’s warning” came to mind and I’ve read there’s some true to the saying.

Shakespeare made a similar statement in the play, Venus and Adonis,

“Like a red morn that ever yet betokened, Wreck to the seaman, tempest to the field, Sorrow to the shepherds, woe unto the birds, Gusts and foul flaws to herdmen and to herds

Even the Bible (Matthew XVI: 2-3) states “When in evening, ye say, it will be fair weather: For the sky is red. And in the morning, it will be foul weather today; for the sky is red and lowering.”

So there’s plenty of historical reference to the phenomena. One explanation on why this adage may be somewhat true is:

Red sky at night, sailors delight.

When we see a red sky at night, this means that the setting sun is sending its light through a high concentration of dust particles. This usually indicates high pressure and stable air coming in from the west. Basically good weather will follow.

Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning.

A red sunrise reflects the dust particles of a system that has just passed from the west. This indicates that a storm system may be moving to the east. If the morning sky is a deep fiery red, it means a high water content in the atmosphere. So, rain is on its way.

Local weather forecast
Thinking of this adage, I looked at the weather forecast. Considering it’s been sunny and beautiful here the last few days…I’d agree there’s something to adage. :-)

9 Comments

  1. I’m glad you did a “quick” capture of these beautiful colors in the sky. I too live where sunrises and sunsets are not in view from my home. That’s why most of my sky shots are sunrises because I got out for coffee nearly every morning. I like your comment on “red sky” and I now have new confidence in the old sayings! :-)

    • I remember you’ve captured some wonderful sunrises while out for early coffee. It’s good your routine affords a chance to see and record them. Before I used the “red sky adage” this morning I wanted to do a little Internet research to see where it came from — glad you got something out of it as well.

  2. Always grab the shot! It’s always amazed me to see how short a time period these moments really are. Some last only a couple of minutes and they’re gone. So, yeah, grab it when we can.

    • “Grab the shot” — You Betcha! I try to always have a camera ready for those brief opportunities. :-)

  3. Earl, you’d better not plan any sailing for the next few days! I really like that top shot a lot!!!

  4. Not only beautiful images in this blog post but also interesting info.
    Learned a lot today !

  5. Ah, an adage close to my heart. Well, the next best thing to Red Skies At Night is Red Skies At Morning… :-)

  6. Earl, I really like how the back lite trees show their detail, great images!