Has anyone ever seen the green flash?

[Train Wreck]

Has anyone ever seen the green flash?

This question came up in another discussion, so I thought I'd throw it out here for general discussion. It's just been a source of fascination for me ever since I heard about it.

Here's the description from wikipedia:
Green flashes and green rays are optical phenomena (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_phenomenon) that occur shortly after sunset (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunset) or before sunrise (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunrise), when a green (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green) spot is visible, usually for no more than a second or two, above the sun (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun), or it may resemble a green ray shooting up from the sunset point. Green flashes are a group of phenomena stemming from different causes, and some are more common than others.[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_flash#cite_note-young-0) Green flashes may be observed from any altitude (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altitude) (even from an aircraft). They usually are seen at an unobstructed horizon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizon), such as over the ocean (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean), but are possible over cloud tops and mountain tops as well.
More info at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_flash

It's supposed to be a pretty rare phenomenon, more likely to be observed over the ocean, but since the definition mentions mountains as well, just thought I'd ask.

[Sailing_Faith]

Has anyone ever seen the green flash?....

I literally have 'years' of time (day for day) at sea. I have a years long habit of coming up on deck on watch or off to watch the sunset....

I have never seen it. I continue to look, and trust that I will see it in time.

[Train Wreck]

Here's another link that I found just after posting the question.
http://mintaka.sdsu.edu/GF/observing/advice.html
It's still saying you can see the green flash in places other than the open ocean, so I have hope :)

[Sugarfoot]

While our house was being rebuilt after a fire, we stayed at various vacation condos directly on the Gulf of Mexico. Twice, when the sunset was unobstructed by clouds, I saw the infamous green flash. It didn't even last a second but looked like a small green flare coming up from where the sun disappeared. I can't say it was one of the greatest experiences of my life, but it was kind of cool.

[Gray Blazer]

The greenish/yellow flash?

http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/6/2/1/7/travis_iv_014.jpg (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showimage.php?i=53009&original=1&c=553)

[garlic08]

Nope. Been looking for it most of my adult life, including years living in Pacific Beach in San Diego near a restaurant/bar called "The Green Flash". Elusive bugger.

[Colter]

I saw it once, years ago. I was preparing to sit down at the base of a tree to wait for dawn and was bending over scraping away the leaves, facing west. There was a flash of green light so I saw my shadow against the tree trunk. I whirled around but nothing was there. I assumed it was a meteor but years later I read about the green flash and knew what it was.

[Train Wreck]

The greenish/yellow flash?

http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/6/2/1/7/travis_iv_014.jpg (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showimage.php?i=53009&original=1&c=553)

Could be! I'm no expert, never seen it. But what I was reading sad that it could appear more greenish/yellowish under certain atmospheric conditions.

[max patch]

Nope. Been looking for it most of my adult life, including years living in Pacific Beach in San Diego near a restaurant/bar called "The Green Flash". Elusive bugger.

Thats where I heard about it for the first time. Never seen it, don't think I will, don't believe it exists.

[Different Socks]

Could be! I'm no expert, never seen it. But what I was reading sad that it could appear more greenish/yellowish under certain atmospheric conditions.

Sorry, not the green flash. It doesn't occur until the moment the top of the sun is below the horizon.

[Train Wreck]

Okay, another nice sunset shot, no green flash ... still hoping some day!

[Starchild]

I have seen it in it's most basically described format. As the sun sets and the top of the sun dips below the horizon at that moment the light of the sun appears green for perhaps a second longer.

I have yet to see it is the format of a green ray shooting upward, but there is still time for that.

[HikerMom58]

Cool thread Train Wreck... I've learned something new! :)

[Train Wreck]

I have seen it in it's most basically described format. As the sun sets and the top of the sun dips below the horizon at that moment the light of the sun appears green for perhaps a second longer.

I have yet to see it is the format of a green ray shooting upward, but there is still time for that.

Were you near the ocean, or somewhere else, when you saw it?

[wythekari]

For 15+ years my office was on the beach on Coronado Island in San Diego. During the winter months I often found myself at work when the sun was setting and I woud head to a window to watch for the green flash. I did catch it one time there. I now live on the central coast and recently caught the green flash with my wife at Carmel. Once years ago I saw a National Geographic magazine that had a three photo series of the sun going down and there was a picture of the green flash - I have been looking for that magazine for years but it is as ellusive as the flash itself.

[Hikes in Rain]

Been looking most of my life...skunked, so far. *sigh*

[Hairbear]

i once saw a friend running to the bathroom after drinking the tap water in mexico,he was green and he was a flash,does that count?

[Capt Nat]

I feel quite lucky as I've seen it twice. The first time was many years ago as a young man from the fantail of a ship at sea. It was neon green and shimmered for several seconds which seemed like forever. Everyone aft gasped and it was the talk for days.

Many years later, I was sitting on an island beach watching the sun set and that time it was literally a flash of green that left me trying to convince myself that I had actually seen it. I was alone too, so had no encouragement from another set of eyes confirming that it happened.

I do want to say that I've never seen a UFO or Bigfoot.

[Starchild]

Were you near the ocean, or somewhere else, when you saw it?
It was not at the ocean though I can't remember where it was except it was a very 'low' horizon. I remember my reaction to it, that this must happen all the time, just it is so rare that people are watching sunset on such a low horizon and expecting the green flash that it goes unnoticed most of the time but it is unquestionably there. Though now looking at other posts it seems more elusive then that.

[canoe]

i once saw a friend running to the bathroom after drinking the tap water in mexico,he was green and he was a flash,does that count? ...Rotflol.....

[chief]

For 26 years I worked on cargo vessels going all over the world, never once saw a green flash. However, we had many laughs about passengers or first trippers lining the rail every clear sunset hoping to see it. I used to tell them, "don't be disappointed, look how many great sunsets you saw".

[Bronk]

I'm sure there are many such phenomena. One thing I've always been curious about is seeing a reflection in a paved road. Sometimes as you look down the road on a long straightaway you will see a reflection of the sky in between a small dip in the road. I've never heard a rational explanation as to why and how this occurs, because when you get there the pavement doesn't look any different, and it is a dry road...its almost as if the reflection is suspended in the air between the rise and fall of the road.

[10-K]

Is this what you mean? https://www.google.com/search?num=10&hl=en&site=&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1280&bih=679&q=sun+green+flash&oq=sun+green+flash&gs_l=img.3..0l2j0i24l8.1158.3564.0.3819.15.13.0.0. 0.0.326.1104.2j4j0j1.7.0...0.0...1ac.1.O-i5wjdj_2c#q=sun+green+flash&num=10&hl=en&tbm=isch&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&fp=1&biw=1024&bih=543

[garlic08]

A very common illusion in the Gulf of California is the Fata Morgana (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fata_Morgana_(mirage)). I saw that daily on a trip down there last Spring.

[moldy]

On Navy ships at sea, the bridge crew looks for it in clear weather, everyday. I could not find one person who had not seen it.

[Train Wreck]

Is this what you mean? https://www.google.com/search?num=10&hl=en&site=&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1280&bih=679&q=sun+green+flash&oq=sun+green+flash&gs_l=img.3..0l2j0i24l8.1158.3564.0.3819.15.13.0.0. 0.0.326.1104.2j4j0j1.7.0...0.0...1ac.1.O-i5wjdj_2c#q=sun+green+flash&num=10&hl=en&tbm=isch&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&fp=1&biw=1024&bih=543

Yes - that's a great collection of shots showing the various appearances it may take.

[Train Wreck]

A very common illusion in the Gulf of California is the Fata Morgana (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fata_Morgana_%28mirage%29). I saw that daily on a trip down there last Spring.

That's really interesting...I'd never heard of this one before. It's easy to see how the legends and superstitions developed in the earlier days of sea travel, in the absence of scientific knowledge. I like the mythology more than the scientific explanations.

[OutdoorEd]

I lived by the beach for many years and am yet to see it. It sounds really incredible I hope I can catch it one day.

[peakbagger]

The folks at the observatory on top of Mt Washington occasionally see it.

[Odd Man Out]

I'm sure there are many such phenomena. One thing I've always been curious about is seeing a reflection in a paved road. Sometimes as you look down the road on a long straightaway you will see a reflection of the sky in between a small dip in the road. I've never heard a rational explanation as to why and how this occurs, because when you get there the pavement doesn't look any different, and it is a dry road...its almost as if the reflection is suspended in the air between the rise and fall of the road.

When light passes through glass or water, the light waves change direction (refracted). If the glass is curved (as in a lense) the curvature allows the light beams to be focused to a single point and form a magnified image. If the glass is flat, the image is not different in size, but it is shifted to a different location. It is much like the effect of a mirror where your image seems to be behind the mirror when you are really in front of it (except with a mirror, the light is reflected instead of refracted). A common example is if you put a long pole in a swimming pool, or a sick in a pond, or a pencil in a class of water, the stick appears to be bent. People who go spear fishing learn that if they throw their spear right a the fish, they always miss, because the fish is not actually where you see it. You have to aim slightly above or below, depending on the angles. The mirage you observe on the road on the horizon is the same effect. The reason the light bends when entering water or glass is due to the different in the refractive index of the two materials. It turns out that hot air and cold air also have different refractive indexes so light bends slightly when it passes through the interface between a layer of hot air and a layer of cold air. This is what happens on the road as there is a layer of hot air close to the road with cooler air above. But the difference is very small so the bending is very slight. You normally don't notice it. But when you look far to the horizon it only take a fraction of a degree of light bending to cause light from the sky to be bent upward so it hits your eye instead of the road. Thus you see the sky down where you expect to see road (or hovering just above the road). Because the temperature interface is not fixed or flat, the image appears wavy and so your brain interprets it as water on the road.

The green flash is due to a similar phenomenon (light refraction when it passes through air at a very shallow angle). In that case, the effect comes from the fact that different wavelengths (colors) of light are refracted different amounts. In air, the difference is very slight, so you only see the effect when the angle of incidence is very low and the amount of air the light passes through is very high, which occurs right at sunset. Rainbows are also caused by the differential refraction of different wavelengths, but in that case, because the light is passing through water, the angle of refraction is much greater (because water is much more dense than air).

Or you can do what the non-scientists (i.e. normal) people do and just say "OOOHHH, AAAAHHHH!!!"

[atraildreamer]

Best one I saw at the Google images site mentioned by TrainWreck:

[thecyclops]

I JUST SEEN HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://s19.postimage.org/bc5ftvmrn/2026520_flash.jpg

[Different Socks]

Pretty much gone here in this shot, and yet still no green flash17492 to see.

[Cadenza]

I can't believe no one has mentioned growing up in the 60's and seeing green flashes,......and purple haze. :D

[camojack]

I've seen it a few times, when I've been to Hawaii. Only once was it the elusive emerald green variety; the other times it was more of a chartreuse blip. I'd love to see the emerald green type again, but at least I've seen it once.
Usually when the sun nears the horizon it goes behind a cloud bank before setting...so no flash. :sun

[Zabigail]

You can see the green flash in Tanguy Louvigny's time lapse videos, HDR Skies (http://vimeo.com/32238183) and HDR Skies 2 (http://vimeo.com/44207640). :)

[Train Wreck]

I've seen it a few times, when I've been to Hawaii. Only once was it the elusive emerald green variety; the other times it was more of a chartreuse blip. I'd love to see the emerald green type again, but at least I've seen it once.
Usually when the sun nears the horizon it goes behind a cloud bank before setting...so no flash. :sun

Wow, you're one of the lucky few...I hope to see it at least once in my lifetime.

[fredmugs]

Just came back from the JMT where I saw (and consumed) a few of these....

17504

[Gray Blazer]

Just came back from the JMT where I saw (and consumed) a few of these....

17504

I'd like to see a coupla of those.

[Train Wreck]

I'd like to see a coupla of those.

Yeah, I'm guessing they're a lot more attainable than the atmospheric variety!

[Different Socks]

You can see the green flash in Tanguy Louvigny's time lapse videos, HDR Skies (http://vimeo.com/32238183) and HDR Skies 2 (http://vimeo.com/44207640). :)

Watched the first one and all the green you see is a result of the sun on the lens of the camera. Beautiful video that i would recommend to everyone, but doesn't have a green flash.

[Different Socks]

You can see the green flash in Tanguy Louvigny's time lapse videos, HDR Skies (http://vimeo.com/32238183) and HDR Skies 2 (http://vimeo.com/44207640). :)

have watched 2nd one also and no green flash, but thanks for sharing.