Since childhood, I have seen that whenever at night, the sky is cloudy, the sky becomes red. But, clouds are grayish, so it is expected that the sky becomes more darker. But no, it is not! Why does this happen? Is wavelength of various colours linked to it? I'm even not sure what tag to give!!
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1this thread should answer your question – Jim Jul 03 '15 at 13:03
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I'm asking of cloudy skies.. – Aneek Jul 03 '15 at 13:04
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How far into the night is this? Midnight? Dusk? Dawn? – Jim Jul 03 '15 at 13:09
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Yes. At anytime between, say, 9 pm to 3 am – Aneek Jul 03 '15 at 13:20
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Do you live in a city? – Jim Jul 03 '15 at 13:23
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Yes I live in calcutta – Aneek Jul 03 '15 at 13:26
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Lots of street lights? – Jim Jul 03 '15 at 13:26
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Like any city in india!! Yes.. – Aneek Jul 03 '15 at 13:27
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The light from the city reflects off the clouds – Jim Jul 03 '15 at 13:27
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Oh I see, then it must appear dark in rural parts? – Aneek Jul 03 '15 at 13:28
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Oh yes, you can't see your hand in front of your face on a cloudy night in rural areas – Jim Jul 03 '15 at 13:29
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City lights are major sources of light pollution – Jim Jul 03 '15 at 13:30
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I see. Actually I have poor experience of a cloudy night in rural areas. By the way I expected a more complex situation right there, but it turns out to be so simple! Thanks – Aneek Jul 03 '15 at 13:30
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The colour you see in the sky on cloudy nights is due to the reflection of city lights off the clouds. In rural areas, a cloudy night is, as you expected, significantly darker.
However, the massive amount of light given off in urban areas reflects back to Earth when there is cloud cover.
And so, you see a red-orange hue, similar to the overall colour of the city lights.
Jim
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