Photographer captures rare, fleeting phenomenon during majestic sunset
By
Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist and senior content editor
Updated Dec 7, 2020 3:25 PM EDT
Sunsets can cause the sky to transform into a vivid palette of colors, but on Tuesday, one photographer in Hawaii was focused on the horizon to capture a rare phenomenon that can be missed with the blink of an eye.
Hawaii is known around the world for its beautiful scenery, volcanoes and tropical climate, but being surrounded by water makes the island chain the perfect spot for a photographer to hunt for the elusive green flash.
“I’m going to see if I can get a video of the finely green flash right before the sun dips below the horizon,” photographer Kawika Singson said as he documented his journey to capture a video of the green flash on Dec. 1, the first day of meteorological winter.
The sun setting in San Diego on Jan. 7, 2017, before a green flash appeared. (Brian Lada / AccuWeather)
Normally around sunset, the sun can appear yellow or orange, but an optical illusion can cause part of the sun to look green for a split second just before the last speck of the sun drops below the horizon. This fast green flare is what is known as the green flash.
But why do the last rays of sunshine appear green?
“The light from a setting sun is bent or refracted downward through the thin atmosphere to our eyes,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Bob Smerbeck explained.
“Green wavelengths are refracted more than red wavelengths through our atmosphere, so the last color we see is green at the top of the setting sun."
It is extremely important never to look at the sun with the naked eye, so photographers need to take special precautions to avoid the risk of permanent eye damage while trying to capture an image or video of the phenomenon.
Being in the right place at the right time is key as the mirage only appears when the sun is setting along a flat horizon, making a west-facing beach the best location to spot the flash. It is almost impossible to see from any other landscape.
A little bit of patience is also required as it does not happen during every sunset, only when atmospheric conditions are just right, according to Andrew Young, an astronomy professor at San Diego State University.
“Most of the flashes detectable by a trained eye are barely visible and certainly not conspicuous, and those would pass unnoticed by a novice. So, magnification makes a big difference,” Young said. For photographers, magnification means a camera lens that can zoom in on the sun to get a closer look. Without magnification, a green flash can be seen in only about one out of every six sunsets, according to Young.
The green flash was spotted from San Diego on Jan. 7, 2017 as the top of the sun was about to drop below the horizon. (Brian Lada / AccuWeather)
Even if clear conditions are in the forecast, other weather variables play a role in determining if the flash will appear.
“The density of the atmosphere also plays a role. The green flash is more likely to occur in a clean, stable atmosphere with cooler air near at surface and warmer air aloft or an inversion,” Smerbeck said. “This enhances the refraction or the bending of light process.”
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Singson took these variables into account when he set up his camera on Dec. 1, 2020, on the west-facing coast of of Kailua-Kona, located on the Big Island of Hawaii.
He watched anxiously with the help of his camera as the sun slowly set, waiting for the half-a-second when the green was projected to appear, and luckily, all of his hard work paid off.
“Yes, I got the green around the sun,” Singson declared. “It wasn’t quite a flash, but I did get the green right before it hit the horizon,” he said.
Just like snowflakes, no two green flashes are the same, and that is one explanation for why Singson saw a shimmer of green and not quite a flash.
In other instances, the green flash appears above the sun itself in spectacular fashion.
This series of images shows a green flash developing just above the sun on Jan. 11, 2009. (Brocken Inaglory)
With careful planning, a green flash can also be seen at daybreak.
“Of course, the green flash can be seen before sunrise, too, although it’s harder at that time of day to know precisely when to look,” EarthSky explained.
This makes it possible to see two green flashes in one day given the right location, but photographers like Singson may count their lucky stars to capture it on video just once as a picture-perfect day draws to a close.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Astronomy
Photographer captures rare, fleeting phenomenon during majestic sunset
By Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist and senior content editor
Updated Dec 7, 2020 3:25 PM EDT
Sunsets can cause the sky to transform into a vivid palette of colors, but on Tuesday, one photographer in Hawaii was focused on the horizon to capture a rare phenomenon that can be missed with the blink of an eye.
Hawaii is known around the world for its beautiful scenery, volcanoes and tropical climate, but being surrounded by water makes the island chain the perfect spot for a photographer to hunt for the elusive green flash.
“I’m going to see if I can get a video of the finely green flash right before the sun dips below the horizon,” photographer Kawika Singson said as he documented his journey to capture a video of the green flash on Dec. 1, the first day of meteorological winter.
The sun setting in San Diego on Jan. 7, 2017, before a green flash appeared. (Brian Lada / AccuWeather)
Normally around sunset, the sun can appear yellow or orange, but an optical illusion can cause part of the sun to look green for a split second just before the last speck of the sun drops below the horizon. This fast green flare is what is known as the green flash.
But why do the last rays of sunshine appear green?
“The light from a setting sun is bent or refracted downward through the thin atmosphere to our eyes,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Bob Smerbeck explained.
“Green wavelengths are refracted more than red wavelengths through our atmosphere, so the last color we see is green at the top of the setting sun."
It is extremely important never to look at the sun with the naked eye, so photographers need to take special precautions to avoid the risk of permanent eye damage while trying to capture an image or video of the phenomenon.
Being in the right place at the right time is key as the mirage only appears when the sun is setting along a flat horizon, making a west-facing beach the best location to spot the flash. It is almost impossible to see from any other landscape.
A little bit of patience is also required as it does not happen during every sunset, only when atmospheric conditions are just right, according to Andrew Young, an astronomy professor at San Diego State University.
“Most of the flashes detectable by a trained eye are barely visible and certainly not conspicuous, and those would pass unnoticed by a novice. So, magnification makes a big difference,” Young said. For photographers, magnification means a camera lens that can zoom in on the sun to get a closer look. Without magnification, a green flash can be seen in only about one out of every six sunsets, according to Young.
The green flash was spotted from San Diego on Jan. 7, 2017 as the top of the sun was about to drop below the horizon. (Brian Lada / AccuWeather)
Even if clear conditions are in the forecast, other weather variables play a role in determining if the flash will appear.
“The density of the atmosphere also plays a role. The green flash is more likely to occur in a clean, stable atmosphere with cooler air near at surface and warmer air aloft or an inversion,” Smerbeck said. “This enhances the refraction or the bending of light process.”
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Singson took these variables into account when he set up his camera on Dec. 1, 2020, on the west-facing coast of of Kailua-Kona, located on the Big Island of Hawaii.
He watched anxiously with the help of his camera as the sun slowly set, waiting for the half-a-second when the green was projected to appear, and luckily, all of his hard work paid off.
“Yes, I got the green around the sun,” Singson declared. “It wasn’t quite a flash, but I did get the green right before it hit the horizon,” he said.
Just like snowflakes, no two green flashes are the same, and that is one explanation for why Singson saw a shimmer of green and not quite a flash.
In other instances, the green flash appears above the sun itself in spectacular fashion.
This series of images shows a green flash developing just above the sun on Jan. 11, 2009. (Brocken Inaglory)
With careful planning, a green flash can also be seen at daybreak.
“Of course, the green flash can be seen before sunrise, too, although it’s harder at that time of day to know precisely when to look,” EarthSky explained.
This makes it possible to see two green flashes in one day given the right location, but photographers like Singson may count their lucky stars to capture it on video just once as a picture-perfect day draws to a close.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo