No, the green flash not a new superhero–or supervillain.
It’s another solar-atmospheric phenomenon.
Unlike the crepusculent rays (with which it is sometimes confused), the green flash is not as easy to see. You can’t just walk out and find them on any ol’ day. The starsatmospheric conditions have to be right.
The easies way to explain what a green flash is is to show you a picture of one, so here goes:
[SOURCE.]
See that flash of green at the top of the setting sun? That green flash is the green flash.
The green flash occurs when part of the sun appears green because of the way its light is being refracted in the atmosphere. (A common myth is that it is because the sun’s light is being filtered through ocean water, but that myth is just a myth.)
Green flashes also come in other colors, like blue. They’re still called green flashes, though, even though they aren’t green. Here’s a blue-colored green flash:
[SOURCE.]
As you can see between these two, not only the color can change, but the visual appearance of the flash in relation to the sun can change. In the first case the green flash appears separated from the rest of the sun by a band of darkness, while in the second it appears to be part of the sun.
Here’s a really weird-lookin’ green flash, courtesy of NASA:
[SOURCE.]
Now, a lot of folks have the idea that you have to be near the ocean to see green flashes (has to do with that seawater myth, y’know) but this is also a myth. In fact,
THERE’ZA BUNCHA MYTHS ABOUT GREEN FLASHES.
But
HERE’S A GOOD PAGE ON GREEN FLASHES (INCLUIDNG LINKS TO MORE PICTURES, MANY TAKEN FROM HERE IN THE SAN DIEGO AREA).
There is also
INFORMATION ABOUT THE DIFFEREN TYPES OF GREEN FLASHES.
It also has
ADVICE ABOUT HOW TO SEE AND TAKE PICTURES OF GREEN FLASHES IN YOUR AREA.
If you get any pictures, be sure to send them to me so I can post them on the blog!
My husband has been telling me for years about the existance of the green flash. He always said one day we might get lucky.
We have tried many times looking out over the ocean as the sun goes down if we could see it. But as is my luck, it would never happen
He has seen it but not I.
Thanks for posting the pics Jimmy. He’ll be happy to see someone has shown its existance.
No prob! Sometime I’ll post pics of Snuffleupagus to show that they exist, too.
Jimmy, now how long has it been since you’ve watched Sesame Street? Snuffy has been sighted by everyone and is a regular on the show!
There’s a novel by Jules Verne about green flashes: “The Green Ray” (“Le Rayon Vert”)
Sky
I’ve spent many a time on the deck of the Lahaina Beach House, here in SoCal, waiting for the green flash, but, alas. At least there was beer to console me in my sorrow.