Natural Phenomenon (Green Flash)
A green flash is a phenomenon in which part of the sun appears to
suddenly change color for about 1 or 2 seconds. The brief flash of green
light is seen more often at sunset than at sunrise.
This fleeting spectacle is caused by the refraction of sunlight, which is particularly significant at sunset and sunrise, when the light travels through more of the Earth's atmosphere. The atmosphere bends the sunlight passing through it, separating the light into its different colors, much like a prism bends and splits sunlight into rainbows, according to Cornell University.
However, green flashes are not always green, according toAndrew T Young at San Diego State University. Sometimes, when the air is especially clear, enough of the blue or violet light rays make it through the atmosphere and create a blue flash instead of a green one. Nonetheless, green is the most common hue reported and captured in photos.
How to see a green flash?
While there isn't an optimal condition that will guarantee a green flash sighting, the best way to potentially observe one is to go somewhere that provides a clear view of the horizon and is free of pollution, such as over the ocean, according to Young.
Green flash sightings frequently occur at the ocean, where more of the atmosphere is visible and the line of sight is virtually parallel to the horizon. Flat prairies and deserts also tend to have the appropriate conditions for a green flash sighting. Sometimes, conditions are so perfect that a rare double green flahs can be observed.
Polar explorer Adm. Richard Byrd and his crew claimed to have seen a "green sun" persist for 35 minutes while on an expedition to Antartica in 1929, according to Young. Scientists now believe that there must have been some mirage effect present for the phenomenon to go on for that length of time.
This fleeting spectacle is caused by the refraction of sunlight, which is particularly significant at sunset and sunrise, when the light travels through more of the Earth's atmosphere. The atmosphere bends the sunlight passing through it, separating the light into its different colors, much like a prism bends and splits sunlight into rainbows, according to Cornell University.
However, green flashes are not always green, according toAndrew T Young at San Diego State University. Sometimes, when the air is especially clear, enough of the blue or violet light rays make it through the atmosphere and create a blue flash instead of a green one. Nonetheless, green is the most common hue reported and captured in photos.
How to see a green flash?
While there isn't an optimal condition that will guarantee a green flash sighting, the best way to potentially observe one is to go somewhere that provides a clear view of the horizon and is free of pollution, such as over the ocean, according to Young.
Green flash sightings frequently occur at the ocean, where more of the atmosphere is visible and the line of sight is virtually parallel to the horizon. Flat prairies and deserts also tend to have the appropriate conditions for a green flash sighting. Sometimes, conditions are so perfect that a rare double green flahs can be observed.
Polar explorer Adm. Richard Byrd and his crew claimed to have seen a "green sun" persist for 35 minutes while on an expedition to Antartica in 1929, according to Young. Scientists now believe that there must have been some mirage effect present for the phenomenon to go on for that length of time.
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