What are pink or red skies?

Pink or red skies are when the sky looks pink or red, like a juice box or a sunset.

Imagine you're outside on a sunny day, and the sun is shining bright. Now imagine that sun is going to sleep, so it moves lower in the sky. As it goes down, its light has to travel through more of the Earth's air to reach you. This extra journey makes the blue light scatter away, leaving behind the red and pink colors we see.

It’s like when you shine a flashlight through a glass of water, the light changes color as it passes through. The same thing happens with the sky, but instead of water, it's air, and instead of a flashlight, it's the sun.

Sometimes, dust, pollution, or even smoke from fires can make the colors pop more, like when you add some sugar to your juice box, it makes the color stand out even more. That’s why you might see really bright pink or red skies after a fire or on a day with lots of dust in the air.