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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Why sunsets were a weird colour after Krakatau blew its top

Evening skies, which are usually red after a volcanic eruption, were instead emerald after the 1883 event.
A sketch of a sunset behind some trees with a green glow on the horizon

A sketch of a British sunset after the 1883 eruption of Krakatau includes a green glow on the horizon. Credit: SSPL/Getty

Green-coloured sunsets blazed around the globe after the 1883 eruption of Krakatau volcano in Indonesia. Now scientists have linked those eerie colours to the size and spread of volcanic particles spewed into the air by the blast1.

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Nature 627, 247 (2024)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-00601-y

References

  1. Von Savigny, C., Lange, A., Hoffmann, C. G. and Rozanov, A. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 24, 2415–2422 (2024).

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