Caracas sky turns blood-red after Venezuela earthquakes: Scientists explain the 'candilazo' phenomenon behind the eerie glow

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• The sky over Caracas turned an unusually deep shade of red on the evening of 30 June.

  On the evening of 30 June, the sky above Caracas turned an unusually deep shade of red, with videos showing neighbourhoods bathed in crimson light.

  Caracas

  Untested — nothing else bears on it yet

• The crimson sky over Caracas occurred less than a week after the seismic doublet that struck Venezuela.

  The spectacle occurred less than a week after Venezuela was struck by a rare seismic doublet, in which two powerful earthquakes occurred just 39 seconds apart, causing widespread destruction across parts of the country.

  Untested — nothing else bears on it yet

• There is no evidence that the crimson sky over Caracas was caused by the seismic activity.

  There is no evidence that the red sky was caused by seismic activity.

  Untested — nothing else bears on it yet

• Researchers state that the dominant cause of the crimson sky was the atmospheric phenomenon known as a candilazo.

  researchers explain that the dominant cause was a naturally occurring atmospheric phenomenon known in Venezuela as a “candilazo.”

  Untested — nothing else bears on it yet

• Saharan dust can further intensify sunset colours by increasing the concentration of airborne particles that scatter sunlight.

  Meteorologists note that northern South America periodically experiences episodes of Saharan dust, carried thousands of kilometres across the Atlantic Ocean by trade winds. These dust plumes can further intensify sunset colours by increasing the concentration of airborne particles that scatter sunlight.

  Saharan dust

  Untested — nothing else bears on it yet

• Scientists say earthquakes cannot be predicted from atmospheric colours and there is no scientific evidence linking ordinary red sunsets with seismic activity.

  The earthquakes cannot be predicted from atmospheric colours, nor is there scientific evidence linking ordinary red sunsets with seismic activity.

  Untested — nothing else bears on it yet

• The earthquakes were the result of movement along the boundary between the Caribbean Plate and the South American Plate, where shallow strike‑slash faults regularly generate powerful seismic events.

  Experts commenting on the recent Venezuela earthquakes also emphasised that the earthquakes themselves were the result of movement along the boundary between the Caribbean Plate and the South American Plate, where shallow strike-slip faults regularly generate powerful seismic events.

  Untested — nothing else bears on it yet

• The viral footage of the Caracas crimson sunset was posted by X user @Ultimahsv.

  The viral footage by an X user @Ultimahsv can be seen here:

  @Ultimahsv viral footage of Caracas red…

  Untested — nothing else bears on it yet

• Rayleigh scattering is an important process affecting the travel of light through the atmosphere.

  According to NASA, Rayleigh scattering is:“Rayleigh scattering is an important process affecting the travel of light through the atmosphere.

  Untested — nothing else bears on it yet

• Earthquake lights are brief flashes or glowing lights near the horizon and bear little resemblance to the broad, evenly illuminated crimson sky seen over Caracas.

  They appear as brief flashes or glowing lights near the horizon and bear little resemblance to the broad, evenly illuminated crimson sky seen over Caracas.

  Untested — nothing else bears on it yet

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