Red Sun Photo Captured Over Okanagan Amid Pacific Northwest Wildfire Smoke

An Astronomy Picture of the Day entry for July 30 2026 features a striking image of the Sun taken on July 22, 2026 in the Okanagan region of British Columbia, Canada. Smoke from wildfires in the Pacific Northwest acted as a natural solar filter, dimming and reddening the Sun and allowing the photographer to capture the disc directly. The picture also shows several sunspots, including the fast‑evolving active region AR 4493.

The accompanying explanation notes that the same scattering particles that redden the Sun now will also give future sunsets more colour, and reminds readers that the Sun will eventually turn red as it enters its red‑giant phase billions of years from now. The image was posted by NASA’s APOD service.