Q. "If there is a green in Paradise, it cannot be but of this shade, which most surely is the true green of Hope," wrote novelist Jules Verne of "the green flash." Where on Earth might you spot this fleeting skycolor?
A: The setting Sun looks reddish-orange because the light must travel through more air to the eye, and this scatters the shorter-wavelength blues to deepen the azure look of the sky, explains San Diego State astronomer Andrew T. Young on his "An Introduction to Green Flashes" Web pages. Meanwhile, the Sun-sent reds and oranges bend around the Earth (refraction), painting the orb and making it seem to sink a bit later than it actually does.
Of all the colors visible in the setting Sun, green bends most over the horizon, and so is the last to set. It can be viewed only with luck and persistence on very clear days on an ocean, lake or prairie, or from a mountain, and then usually only for a second or two. Most people have never seen the green flash. Have you?
WORD OF CAUTION: Never look long at the Sun until it has slipped partly below the horizon, having begun to set.
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