There were some spectacular sunsets a few weeks ago down West
when I was on holiday there.
Now I normally find sunset shots about as interesting to look at
as a concrete wall but there were some interesting optical phenomena happening.
This first one is the 'Green Flash'.



Here is what's happening there:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_flash

And some weird 'Mushroom Cloud' looking sun(s) as the
globe split in two as it set.
First is got squashed and then there was a tiny 'Sun' rise up to meet
the bottom of it..
all to do with the atmosphere of course but interesting to see none the less.

I wonder if this is where they're filming Pirates of the Caribbean 4 (you have to have seen 3:At World's End to know what I'm on about!)

Very intriguing shots, I'll agree with you there. Atmospheric diffraction? Something like the way the sky is blue during the day, red to orange at twilight, and so on.

There is sort of a mix of a few things going on...
but it is essentially caused by atmospheric refraction.

Refraction or Diffraction Frank? Refraction would be how we can still see the limb of the Sun on the horizon even though it really lies below the horizon (if there were no atmosphere in the last horizon shot, you wouldn't see the Sun at all). Diffraction is the splitting up of the colours.

Seanie.

Seanie_Morris wrote:

Refraction or Diffraction

as I say above,
a bit of both going on to produce the overall effect.
On the same night I photographed the Moon rising
and caught that effect...
too tired /busy to post them up now...

Cool shots, Frank!

-- Jeff.

Nice work there, Frank!

The green flash is something which has eluded me for some time. I have tried repeatedly to capture it but no luck so far.

I will get it ... at some point!

Grest shots there frank, its rare enough to get that kinda shot from these parts.

I've seen the green flash at sunset a few times over the years - always different each time. The most notable one was when I was over in the Isle of Man for the Millennium. Mum and I went out to the Calf of Man on the very south tip of the island to watch the last sunset of the old millennium and were treated to a stunning display.

The sun slowly set into the sea and with a beautiful change in shape and colours. A large, broad dome started to appear well above where the sun had disappeared a few seconds before, which then proceeded to go through several shades of green before becoming too dark and disappearing. The whole display (of greens) lasted some 10-15 seconds - a life time!

The next morning we headed back out there to watch the first sunrise of the new millennium and were treated to an equally magical dawn. No green, but heaven all the same.

Phil.

Beautiful shots BTW Frank!

Phil,

This is an excellent report.

Question for you and this is where my ignorance comes into play: does the green flash appear after the sun has set?

Anthony.

PS. I just followed up on the link in Frank's initial message and I now have an answer as to why I have NEVER managed to capture the green flash. I have always thought it was during sunset and it is here where I had attempted so many times to observe and image it.

However, it is a phenomenon which occurs after the sun has set due to the bending of light with green and blue light being bent more than red light, thus for the green (and blue) flash.

My thanks to Phil for setting me straight and to Frank for initiating the whole discussion.

Learn something new every day !!!!

Hi Anthony,

I have only ever seen it just *after* the disc of the sun has disappeared. On the occasion I saw it in the Isle of Man, the sun went down into the sea (there was the very slightest haze line just above the far distant horizon.) What astounded me was that the dome that appeared over the sun (after it set) appeared to rise up out of the sea and grow to perhaps 2 or 3 sun diameters in width and perhaps a quarter to a half a sun diameter in height, changing colour as it grew. It then faded out, getting darker and darker as the sun tip-toed around the planet to surprise us again the next morning!

Phil.

Anthony / Phil.
I'm not surprised people here have not seen it before but
I am taken aback that our Greek brethern has yet to image it!
I must be lucky so!
There were 5 nights straight where there was sunsets visible
clear to the horizon.
I managed to capture the green flash twice on film and once by eye.
so 3 out of 5 is some going so!?
It's just that we had a very rare steady clean HP system over the
country that week and that's why it was visible.

In the photo above (not enhanced) it really did look neon green.
but a one or two second flash after the last piece of the sun had set.
In the other image (must post up) the flash was detatched from the
sun and so not 'techniclly' a flash but still the same mechanics causing it.

By eye, there was a brief, not exactly 'cone' but maybe
a wobbley piller of vague greenish light going straight up.
(NOT Hollywood style) but definatly there and I would say
VERY hard to capture photographically.

Anthony, I'm sure you will capture this in time...
In the same way as I have yet to capture a full Moon rising
against a lit landscape...
oooh pesky shots!

Barberskum wrote:

Anthony / Phil.
I'm not surprised people here have not seen it before but
I am taken aback that our Greek brethern has yet to image it!

Given my gross misunderstanding (ie. during sunset and not after it), it is NOT surprising that I have a perfect (failure) record!

There were 5 nights straight where there was sunsets visible clear to the horizon.

This is a NO-brainer for me with sunsets visible down to the horizon.

Anthony, I'm sure you will capture this in time...

Now that I know to pursue it AFTER sunset, it should be relatively easier.

In the same way as I have yet to capture a full Moon rising against a lit landscape...
oooh pesky shots!

Here is my latest gem: www.perseus.gr/Astro-Solar-Scenes-Oropos-01.htm ... hoping for similar success tomorrow evening with the full moon (ditto on Monday).

Anthony.

Great capture Frank!

Michael.