The Sky Really Is Bluer In Charlotte
It’s not just your imagination, these Carolina sky’s really are just a little more blue. A new study by S Money determined that the sky really is bluer in Charlotte. They worked with a data scientist to analyze images of the sky and discover which cities around the world have the bluest sky. The cities studied were every nation’s capital as well as the 25 most populous US cities. Images used were taken on sunny days to create an even playing field. S Money used Google Street View to ‘navigate’ each of the cities while looking for the bluest patch of sky. Once the bluest shade of sky was uncovered, the team took photos from inside Google Street View. Images were then ranked according to the CIELAB colour scale which is how they discovered which cities around the world have the bluest sky.
The level of ‘blueness’ depends on factors, including the angle of the sun, cloud cover, and air pollution. The photos were taken at different times so the results aren’t fully scientific. Charlotte came in number 8 in the US study with San Fransisco taking the top spot. Jacksonville, FL and Boston, MA took the next two spots respectively.
They created an interactive tool where people can compare the skies in different cities.
Top 10 Global Capital Cities with the Bluest Sky
1. Suva, Fiji
2. Nassau, Bahamas
3. Phnom Penh, Cambodia
4. San Jose, Costa Rica
5. Paris, France
6. Helsinki, Finland
7. Oslo, Norway
8. Bishkek, Krygyzstan
9. Kiev, Ukraine
10. San Francisco, USA
Top 10 U.S. Cities with the Bluest Sky
1. San Francisco
2. Jacksonville
3. Boston
4. El Paso
5. Oklahoma City
6. Austin
7. Columbus
8. Charlotte
9. San Diego
10. San Antonio
Top 10 Capital Cities in the Americas with the Bluest Sky
1. Nassau, Bahamas
2. San Jose, Costa Rica
3. Washington DC, USA
4. Tegucigalpa, Honduras
5. Buenos Aires, Argentina
6. Santiago, Chile
7. Saint John’s, Antigua & Barbuda
8. Brasilia, Brazil
9. Havana, Cuba
10. Georgetown, Guyana
View the full study here
