The sky is (bright) pink in Birmingham. Here’s why – Firstpost

The snowfall blanketed the West Midlands, and residents in Birmingham were delighted by a dazzlingly neon-pink night sky on Thursday evening (January 8). Magical and picturesque scene left Brummies wondering what brought on the gorgeous display. The mesmerising hues of pink forced people to pull out their smartphones and capture the rare sight.Why The Birmingham’s sky turned bright pink: Image courtesy: X

Completely in awe! Social media users shared the incredible views on X, Reddit, and TikTok, rapidly gaining thousands of views. And then, weird theories also circulated online, suggesting an alien invasion, a new virus spreading, or perhaps a surprise appearance of the famous northern lights. However, the mystery was soon solved.

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Who reported Birmingham isn’t beautiful pic.twitter.com/lt4QULJhwP

— shakur ひ (@38VVS_) January 8, 2026More from Explainers Trump says US will run Venezuela and tap its oil reserves after toppling Maduro Is Trump’s desire for Greenland pushing Nato to the brink?

Mystery behind the scenic phenomenon

The truth behind the rare sight of a bright pink sky was far simpler. All thanks to the LED lights at Birmingham City’s football ground. According to them, the pink light was caused by LED lights at their St Andrews stadium. It was scattered in a way that made it look as if the sky had turned pink. “Pink sky at night, Blues delight,” the Football Club confirmed, sharing a photograph of a pink sky on X.

The Birmingham sky appeared pink due to cloud cover and falling snow, making the sky more reflective, according to the BBC report. As a result of low clouds and snowfall, the sky can become more reflective, taking in bright light from streetlights, buildings, and even a football stadium.

Snow with a Purple Sky?!!
Birmingham is not a real place lol pic.twitter.com/UIPJzXzJ0G

— 🦍 (@shaqxii) January 9, 2026

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“The blue wavelengths of light are more easily scattered by snow or water droplets, allowing the longer wavelengths, such as red and orange, to get through. This can have the effect of turning colours more pink or orange," BBC quoted Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge as saying.

Across Birmingham, including Small Heath and Bordesley Green, as well as in Hednesford and Cannock, similar scenic views were reported.

Hednesford Town Football Club confirmed on their social media platform that, due to LED pitch lights, a similar glow was witnessed earlier in the week. “The lights are used to aid the grass recover and grow,” the club stated, adding, “They were helping us chase three points, not the aurora.”

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🇬🇧 Meanwhile in Birmingham, UK

Pink snow filled skies that never ever used to happen, just happened again!

Something has changed. pic.twitter.com/EC6SUWJJ88

— Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) January 9, 2026

Speculations spiral online

Birmingham turning all pink wasn’t a daily event; hence, people were understandably excited, as they believed they had entered a mystical Disney movie world. However, some were way ahead in their curiosity, so much so that they thought Birmingham was doomed.

Others unpleasant theories as reported by News18 were: “It’s Jesus coming back; it’s the democrats spreading a fresh virus; it’s an alien invasion; it’s the end of the world; it’s some kind of mexican demon or ghost (Yes I’m serious); it’s a sign of god that the world is healing because donald trump is president now (Yes I’m also serious) (sic)."

A Reddit user even encountered some of the bizarre conspiracy theories: “Have you seen this on TikTok? You wouldn’t believe how stupid humanity has become. Here are just a FEW things with several thousands, sometimes tens of thousands of likes on their comments, about what that purple sky apparently is."

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Well, as the online world rushed to make guesses, the reality was far more ordinary.

With inputs from agencies

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