Why is the sky so bright here at night?

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In Ottawa, Canada, a resident observed an unusually bright sky at 2 AM, described as a light peachy color, allowing visibility of the grass without artificial light. The brightness is attributed to a combination of heavy cloud cover and snow on the ground, which reflects city lights, enhancing the illumination. Some participants speculated that low clouds or light fog could also contribute to this phenomenon. There was also a mention of the northern lights being visible further south than usual, but the consensus leaned towards light pollution and weather conditions as the primary causes.
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Hello PF

I'm hoping someone can answer this for me.

I am in Ottawa, Canada and right now it is almost 2 am. I am about to go to sleep but can't help to notice why the sky is so unusually bright. It is a light peachy color. I can see the grass outside my house without any lights, it is that bright. I don't know why this is but I am curious. lol
 
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Someone posted a thread sayings the northern lights would be visible much further south than normal (about a week ago maybe?) I wonder if that's what you're seeing. I don't think they're that bright though.
 
I think the cloud ceiling is either very low, or the clouds are unusually white. That way, more light from Ottawa's light bulbs would get reflected down to the ground.
 
Light pollution sucks, yo.
 
And it's back to normal tonight...
 
AFG34 said:
Hello PF

I'm hoping someone can answer this for me.

I am in Ottawa, Canada and right now it is almost 2 am. I am about to go to sleep but can't help to notice why the sky is so unusually bright. It is a light peachy color. I can see the grass outside my house without any lights, it is that bright. I don't know why this is but I am curious. lol
Did you move to Ottawa recently?

It's likely just a combination of heavy cloud cover and snow on the ground that helps reflect city lights (back and forth) and make for a bright night.
 
Gokul43201 said:
Did you move to Ottawa recently?

It's likely just a combination of heavy cloud cover and snow on the ground that helps reflect city lights (back and forth) and make for a bright night.

or maybe a light fog
 

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