[evecircleM]

Would someone out there please tell me
what a green flash is. The flash my husband
saw was 6 weeks ago. Please respond. I am in the dark on this one.

 

[Jeff_H]

Aledgedly, the green flash is that last tiny bit of the sun seen just before the sun dips over horizon into the sea at sunset. It is a light wave shift due to the passing through the atmosphere that is similar to seeing one edge of a rainbow.

Jeff

 

[SHIMSHON]

Aledgedly?? Great deffinition but I have seen it, twice now, and both times just prior to sun rise and 300-400 miles off shore.Or maybe that was just light passing through a Heineken bottle.

 

[Jeff_H]

I say aledgely because if I remember college optics from physics (30 odd years ago)the edges of a spectrum would not be green so I have never been 100% completely convinced of the explanation.

Jeff

 

[TSOJOURNER]

As I remember from college,it was THE excuse to get your date offshore for a cruse at night. Still works...

 

[VIEXILE]

When there''s no clouds to the north of Puerto Rico, we see "it" infrequently from our deck and when we hang off the drop until sunset fishing. The horizon has to be perfectly clear. I''ve seen the flash on numerous occassions, but I couldn''t swear to the fact that it''s green.

 

[TSOJOURNER]

I''ve seen this phenom down in Key West once. I''d believe Jeffh''s explanation.

Regards

 

[SailorMitch]

I''ve seen the green flash in Key West, too, on many occasions. Or is that the wedge of lime at the bottom of my margarita? Whatever.

Mitch

 

[bcameron]

Ocean Navigator did a good article on this a while back... as did Good Old Boat. I''ve only ever seen it once (don''t get to the ocean enough).

 

[jollymonjeff]

There are some great articles online about the "mechanics" behind the green flash. I have seen them a few times on hazy days and clear ones. Here is a link to a picture of one. I did not take the photo, but rather got it from another site.
http://www.geocities.com/buccaneersailboats2/pictureperfect.html

 

[TSOJOURNER]

I have seen it as well. Three times.
Only in the West Indies near Bequia on very clear cloudless sunsets. I have shot it with a video camera and it does not show up. (30 Frames per second)
It is as they call it a flash, very very fast.

I have sailed in the South Pacifc over 90 days at different times of the year with perfect weather and have never seen one there.
Sam

 

[TSOJOURNER]

As for the photo that Jollymonjeff is talking about that''s got some green to it.
But it is not a green flash.
The flash comes at the very fraction of a second the top of the sun goes below the horizon

 

[TSOJOURNER]

The green in the green flash is supposedly due to the inversion of the light rays.

As the celestial body decends through the event horizon, the refracted light rays are apparently inverted by the reflection off the sea surface and the atmosphere, from the orange/red end of the spectrum to the green/blue end.

There probably is a more poetic explanation.

:O)

 

[TSOJOURNER]

I''ve lost count of the times I''ve seen a green flash just after sunset. Some were bearly visable ; others brightly lasting for 2-3 seconds. If one can start low in the boat & move up as it is seen, this view is prolonged. Many doubt it until they see their 1st one. A clear horizon is needed; they are more common in the tropics.

 

[TSOJOURNER]

Do a web search on Google for "green flash". The Mt Wilson site has several good pics of a green flash and several sites have good explanations. However, I like the beer bottle or Margarita Glass explanation better.

 

[BigRed56]

That green flash is my sleek hull whizzing by all you slowpokes. Big Red 56

 

[snoreky]

this is a site that has a good explantation of the green flash http://silverwaters.com/greenflash.htm ......snoreky.

 

[peterpan2k]

I have stared at sunsets from Sunset Beach in Huntington Beach Ca. until i was nearly blind. I still haven''t seen one. Is there any part of year that they appear more often?
Ole Pete

 

[SHIMSHON]

Pete, Try just before sunrise!!

 

[hamiam]

This month''s Blue Water Sailing magazine has a good article and a picture of the green flash..