An astronomer in Texas – 6

–part 6 of the essay An astronomer in Texas–

Several days later, an astrophysicist’s worst nightmare happened! Forest fires several dozen kilometers away spread out and slowly crept closer towards the observatory. We had to close down the dome and enjoy the show while everthing smelled like barbecue. Thankfully, the fire department was successful in stopping it. Due to full spectrum, the glow and optical properties of the smoke particles turned them into a pinkish hue.