Why the sky was red in Munch's 'The Scream'

[jakeXT]

For those who have ever wondered why the sky was a lurid red in "The Scream" -- Edvard Munch's painting of modern angst -- astronomers have an answer. They blame it on a volcanic eruption half a world away.
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/12/10/scream.munch.reut/


Original article in Sky & Telescope 2004 (pdf 1MB)
http://ecommons.txstate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1023&context=physfacp

[Brickbat]

1. Odd. I remember reading that the painting was done shortly after Munch's mother died of a

hemorrhage, and Munch typically painted more emotive than realistic scenes.

[jakeXT]

3. I believe they mention in that article that he painted the death of his sister over a decade after

the event. There are also 2 other paintings with the red sky depicted.

[wtmusic]

2. Either that, or it's not a realistic depiction at all

but a symbol, as was his wont. :eyes:

[eppur_se_muova]

4. Much discussed in Simon Winchester's "Krakatoa".

Lots of artists took to painting red skies about this time.

[bananas]

5. Q. Is the old adage “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning” true?

From the Library of Congress website:

http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/weather-sailor.html

Question:

Is the old adage “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning” true, or is it just an old wives’ tale?

Answer:

Within limits, there is truth in this saying.

Have you ever heard anyone use the proverb above?

Shakespeare did. He said something similar in his 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.”

In the Bible, (Matthew XVI: 2-3,) Jesus said, “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.”

Weather lore has been around since people needed to predict the weather and plan their activities. Sailors and farmers relied on it to navigate ships and plant crops.

But can weather lore truly predict the weather or seasons?

Weather lore concerning the appearance of the sky, the conditions of the atmosphere, the type or movement of the clouds, and the direction of the winds may have a scientific basis and likely can predict the weather.

In order to understand why “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning” can predict the weather, we must understand more about weather and the colors in the sky.

Usually, weather moves from west to east, blown by the westerly trade winds. This means storm systems generally move in from the West.

The colors we see in the sky are due to the rays of sunlight being split into colors of the spectrum as they pass through the atmosphere and ricochet off the water vapor and particles in the atmosphere. The amounts of water vapor and dust particles in the atmosphere are good indicators of weather conditions. They also determine which colors we will see in the sky.

During sunrise and sunset the sun is low in the sky, and it transmits light through the thickest part of the atmosphere. A red sky suggests an atmosphere loaded with dust and moisture particles. We see the red, because red wavelengths (the longest in the color spectrum) are breaking through the atmosphere. The shorter wavelengths, such as blue, are scattered and broken up.

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.

To learn more about weather lore and proverbs see the following Related Web Sites and For Further Reading sections.

<snip>


Sunrise Historic NWS Collection, NOAA.


Sunset highlighting dense cirrus clouds Historic NWS Collection, NOAA.

<snip>

Does "The Scream" depict a sailor with a hangover, who was up all night drinking and missed the boat,
or are do those look like cirrus clouds at sunset, as in the second photo above?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scream