All this smoke is making it hard to tell the difference between Calgary and Mars (PHOTOS)

It will come as absolutely zero surprise to anyone in Calgary with eyes (or lungs) that the special air quality statement from Environment Canada has been renewed for the third day in a row.

As always, Calgarians are advised to stay inside if they are having difficulty breathing and to find an indoor place that’s cool and ventilated. Air conditioners that filter air and keep core temperatures down can help.

The smoke billowing in from the BC wildfires is the culprit, and while there’s not much Calgary can do but soldier on until we see clear skies on the horizon, the haze has made for some interesting photo opportunities.

With the red sun, the stark landscape, and the smoggy skies, some people have even likened Calgary’s current state to that of the Red Planet, Mars.

The photo on the bottom is the surface of Mars. The one on top is Strathcona Park in Calgary today. pic.twitter.com/XzUVocZ8YD

— Ian Holloway (@LawDeanHolloway) August 16, 2018

And to be honest, we totally get the comparison.

A post shared by Jury Nam (@gabe_and_i) on Aug 16, 2018 at 5:55am PDT

A post shared by Myles Andrew (@f1rstson) on Aug 16, 2018 at 12:05am PDT

A post shared by John Bain (@john_bain) on Aug 15, 2018 at 6:59pm PDT

A post shared by Christopher Dydak (@c.dydak) on Aug 15, 2018 at 9:54pm PDT

To be fair, that last one wasn’t actually of Calgary OR Mars — it’s Drumheller.

And, to get an idea of just how smoky the city is (and for a breath of fresh air) here’s what a sunny summer day should look like:

A post shared by Hope (@hopetink) on Jul 23, 2018 at 3:25am PDT

And what it actually looks like:

A post shared by East Village (@evliving) on Aug 16, 2018 at 7:17am PDT

See also

• You can take an around-the-world flight from Calgary for just $1,500 this fall
• Calgary warns of door to door scammers posing as city employees
• Wildfire smoke has Edmonton looking like an apocalyptic ghost town (PHOTOS)