Has our blue sky really changed?? A quantifiable test...

I read this interesting article today about a web designer who decided to set up a camera to take a picture of the New York sky every five minutes. The image is then pixelized to blend all of the colors into a representative color block (you can click on each enlarged block to see the actual picture and date/time stamp) and a daily chronological collage is created.

A Site Dedicated to the Color of the New York City Sky

Every five minutes, NSKYC, a site by web designer Mike Bodge, updates with a new snapshot of the average color of the city's sky at that moment. It may sound mundane, but the result is actually fascinating and beautiful. The page has been dominated by varying shades of gray today, but scroll down to the early morning hours to find vibrant blues around 5 a.m., or skip past the black of night for yesterday evening's maroon sunset.

The full article from NYMag, along with the web designer's comments, can be found here.

My first thought was "cool idea" and then I started remembering some of the recent threads here on ATS where many of us have commented that the sky seems to have changed over the years and doesn't appear to be the same clear blue color we remember from our semi-distant past. Well, this site will let those interested to see how often the sky in NYC is blue and perhaps it can, over time, put our questions to rest.

This will link you directly to the website nskyc.com. I'll check back every few days and comment on how often (or not) the sky is truly blue. Enjoy!!

Timidgal

Some of those colors make me vomit in my mouth. Eww.

Too bad this wasn't done out in the country somewhere.

I live under a sky devoid of city lights, haze and smog. I bet the outcome of this project would be more impressive under these conditions.

still pretty cool nonetheless

This is one of the main reasons we moved from Pittsburgh, PA to Ft. Myers, FL. The sky here is always blue. I suffered from S.A.D. in Pittburgh, and I feel "cured" since being here. It is wonderful.

reply to post by cassp83


Makes absolute sense - sunshine provides vitamin D which results in a myriad of health benefits...

Timidgal

reply to post by deanGI5


Hey, the web designer said he's looking for other areas. You never know - perhaps he'll supply the equipment if you supply the locale. Would be a really cool contrast...

Timidgal

There are still bright blue skies sometimes. But like yesterday, for example, chemtrails were being sprayed left and right and the sky was basically covered up by a gray haze. It does irk me. I have always enjoyed seeing the blue sky.

reply to post by HarmonicNights


For me, it was at the point where I got so excited the last time I saw bright blue up above, I snapped a picture. I just checked my camera and it's date stamped June 2nd. It was awfully pretty though...

Timidgal

Just a small post to say what an unusual and delightful thread.