Have you seen the "Green Flash"?

[BeyGon]

The weather is turning nice here in SoCal and I was thinking of the old days, sitting in "Noquis" a bar ON The BEACH in Tamarindo. We used to sit there for beers at sunset and on clear evenings watch for the "Green Flash", a very small flash of green just as the top of the sun hits the horizon. Very small speck. Anyone else see this? OK, maybe I miss Costa Rica.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

If I do, does it mean I get to nail Keira Knightley?

In all seriousness, I think you need to be at very low latitudes (near equatorial) in order to have a chance of seeing it. So I've been told anyway (never have myself).

[TimT]

"Noquis" a bar ON The BEACH in Tamarindo

Was there last year... I always enjoy staying in Tamarindo

[nostatic]

I rarely adopt my secret identity, so I'm not surprised you haven't seen me locally

[ckissick]

I once lived right on the beach in Santa Barbara for years and still leave near the beach. I've seen thousands of sunsets over the ocean, and nary a green flash.

[slodave]

Check this link out:
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/atmos/redsun.html
The first section deals with a red sun, but read on for the green!

[sketchers356]

Anyone know of any pics?

[slodave]

What, my link not enough???

[BeyGon]

Slodave,
cool, some people thought it would be big like in Pirates of the C movie but that was not the case. I don't think many people were looking for such a small flash. Every clear night people would sit around with their beer or wine and wait for it.

We never saw anything near a big as your picture shows it.

[slodave]

Not my pic. Quick Google image search. I'll have to keep my eyes open though!

[Steve Carlton]

http://jef.raskincenter.org/main/pictures/green_flash.html

http://mintaka.sdsu.edu/GF/pictures.html

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070129.html

[sketchers356]

Thanks for the pics. Truly is awesome.

[Seahawk]

I've seen it many times...at first I thought the green flash was, like much of Navy lore, an opportunity to make sport of those new to the sea (think a "bucket of steam", a "quart of relative bearing grease", etc).

But there it was.

[p911dad]

Seeing the green flash is like seeing a ufo. If you do see one, no one else believes you and secretly thinks you are a little off. However, I have seen a few on the west coast of Oahu, the conditions seem to be very clear skies, no dust, and it lasts not even a second, and what I saw was a pale green, like part of the light spectrum. It squeezes out in the last millisecond, then gone. I recently watched nearly 60 sunsets, and saw no more than 2 for sure. Hawaii has some of the clearest air around, so maybe that has something to do with it. And, several glasses of wine help the vision.

[Dueller]

Been reading Wouk's "Don't Stop the Carnival?"

Yup...seen it many times on a variety of islands. Most notably on the Dry Tortugas.

[Tobra]

yes, works better if you are a bit elevated. Weather conditions have to be right, something about the wavelengths blocked out by the water as I recall

[competentone]

Originally Posted by Tobra

yes, works better if you are a bit elevated. Weather conditions have to be right, something about the wavelengths blocked out by the water as I recall

It probably has more to do with damage to your eyes from staring at the sun.

If you watched someone using an arc-welder, you might see a "green flash" when they stopped too -- and that would have nothing to do with "wavelengths blocked out by water"!

[gsmith660]

Diving off Diamond head in Hawaii we were sittng in the boat watching the sunset as soon as we saw the green flash we all went in the water for one of the best night dives I ever had. Also saw one of the biggest tiger sharks I have ever seen on that dive

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by competentone

It probably has more to do with damage to your eyes from staring at the sun.

If you watched someone using an arc-welder, you might see a "green flash" when they stopped too -- and that would have nothing to do with "wavelengths blocked out by water"!

n
No, that is ridiculous, this is a well documneted and frequently observed phenomenon. You need to read up a bit more if you expect to live up to your name. You see a blue/white flash from welding, and if you burn a hole in your retina, you get a black spot, not a green spot.

It is physics, light has more atmosphere to get through at an oblique angle, and I believe that Einstein dude had something to say about gravity's impact on light photons as well.

[kang]

I've seen it.