Hazy Crazy Days of Summer

Ok, so this was the scene today at about 7:00 a.m.

If you download and zoom in on that photo you will see that you can barely see the mountains in the background. It's not pollution that is doing it, it's smoke.

As in from a fire.

Currently, Dillingham is surrounded by six forest fires. Exhibit A :

Click to expand.

The saving grace is the surrounding water, so we aren't completely boxed in. Also you have to keep in mind the scale. That image represents about 120 miles across, and probably 60 miles from top to bottom. It's not like Dillingham is in immediate danger, but we are close enough for smoke to waft our way.

It does, however, make one double-check one's location.

• Fire? Check.

• Earthquakes? Check.

• Floods? Check.

• Pestilence? Check.

If I didn't know better, I would say from that evidence alone I am in California.

A Tale of Two Sunrises

Ok. So the sun is rising later in the day, and not staying up as long either. Such is the way of Winter all over the North American continent. Then there is this sunrise :

That is the sun coming up on a city park here in Dillingham, and that is, in fact, the East and Juliet is the sun, as it were. So then no more than 10 seconds later I turned to the West and took this picture :

... where the sun was also rising. Whiskey. Tango. Hotel !? No, that wasn't light from the big tundra fire. That fire is now completely out, thanks to Mother Nature. As you can see from the first picture, the sun isn't quite above the horizon yet.

Buuuuuut, when you turn to the West, there appears to be MORE light. So... I don't suppose there are any astrophysicists or really good amateur astronomers out there who would care to explain what is going on?