APOD: 2026 July 30 – Red Sun trough Wildfire Smoke
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 [![Request for Information – Potential [Placeholder for Prize]](https://assets.science.nasa.gov/dynamicimage/assets/science/psd/solar/2023/09/s/solarsystem_0.jpg?w=1024)\\
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Request for Information – Potential \[Placeholder for Prize\]\\
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article6 days ago](https://science.nasa.gov/technology/workshops/request-for-information-response/) 
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APOD
APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
!A deep red sun shows several sunspots. Clouds and haze are visible.
# Red Sun through Wildfire Smoke
Explanation: This could be the view from an exoplanet orbiting around a red dwarf star, but it is our own Sun. This image of was taken on July 22, 2026, in the Okanagan region in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Wildfire smoke from the Pacific Northwest acted as a solar filter, allowing the photographer to take this photo of the Sun directly. Several sunspots are also visible in this eerie image; just below and right of the center is AR 4493, a fast evolving, giant active solar region and sunspot group. The smoke is made of tiny particles that help block and scatter light with bluer colors, so the light we see coming from the Sun is dimmer and redder than usual (but it is never safe to stare directly at the Sun). Sunsets and sunrises are also more colorful because of the smoke. Some 6 billion years from now, the Sun will actually start to turn redder as it approaches its red giant phase.
Tomorrow's picture: interstellar thingy
| Date | July 30, 2026 |
| Credit | Debra Ceravolo |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell, Keighley Rockcliffe, Cecilia Chirenti |
| A service of: | ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |
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