Green on the horizon

  

Wasn't sure if we'd see one tonight, but there it was, glowing green on the horizon.  Photographed from Bodega Head on 28 January 2026.  [You can click on the image for a slightly better version of the photo.]

Flashy time of year

 

 

This green flash photo is from last week, but perhaps it'll be a reminder to keep an eye out for green flashes around sunset at this time of year.  (Just don't look at the sun until it's almost entirely below the horizon.)

Over in a...

  

I've received lots of feedback and questions about the green flash photos, so here's another -- photographed on 25 January 2025.

In my first post about green flashes back in 2013, I included a link to a website with a helpful introduction to them: https://aty.sdsu.edu/  (This is an older website, so some of the links are no longer working, but there's still a lot of very helpful information.)

When the conditions are right, it's not too hard to see a green flash, but it's helpful to use binoculars.  *Remember that it's important not to look at the sun until it's mostly below the horizon* (it can damage your eyes)...but then get ready because the green color appears fairly quickly and then disappears (although it can linger in some conditions!).

Green horizon

  

a green horizon
sun setting into the sea
we smile and let go

Winter flashes

  

We've seen several green flashes this week, so if it's a clear night and you're at the coast at sunset, keep an eye on the horizon!  (But don't look until the sun is mostly below the horizon!)

Calm seas and...a flash!

  

While watching the sunset tonight (24 October 2024), it felt like good conditions for a green flash.

Sure enough!  Nice green color as the sun disappeared below the horizon.  Here's a tiny bit of it:

Layers

Sunset sequence on 7 February 2018:

 

 

 

Green on the horizon

 

This is a good time of year to watch for a green flash on the horizon at sunset.  This one showed up through a narrow gap in the clouds tonight, 6 January 2018.

Flashy

 

Hopkins' Rose nudibranch (Okenia rosacea) on 28 October 2015

I first saw this species in the Bodega Bay area last January (see post from 3 January 2015).  I'm not sure exactly how many are around now, but it was nice to see one tonight.

Then Eric was watching the sunset and predicted a green flash.  Sure enough, the sun sank quickly below the waves at ~6:15 p.m. and a small green flash appeared at the horizon.  Can you find it in the picture below?

 

 The green flash is barely visible above the waves in the center.

 'Tis the start of the season to watch for green flashes on clear nights!

What's rarer?

A green flash, or a picture of Snowy Plovers in flight?

Perhaps that's not a fair comparison.  I'm starting to feel like you can see a green flash if you want to, as long as the conditions are right, and you're willing to watch.  Here's one from 20 October 2014 (below).  Eric and I were near the ocean at sunset and thought there was potential for a flash so we lingered until the sun went down.  [You can click on the images for slightly larger versions.]

 

A minute later (at 6:27 p.m.): 

 

Most of the time I see Snowy Plovers walking, running, or resting on the sand.  On Saturday I was on the tidal flats in Bodega Harbor during a flood tide.  The wind was calm, so the conditions were excellent for hearing shorebird calls.  Snowy Plovers have a very quiet, subtle call, but I heard this small flock coming from a distance, and I knew I had a rare opportunity to photograph them in flight.  I can do better, but it's a start!

 

 

P.S.  I first wrote about green flashes last December — you can read that post here.

The Green...

...Flash!

 

I owe these pictures to Lewis.  Yesterday he asked me if I had ever seen a Green Flash.  We joked about how we had both been involved in discussions about whether Green Flashes existed or not.  But I have been around a few people who claimed to have seen them.  

So we looked on the Internet and quickly found multiple pages that described the very real optical phenomena behind Green Flashes.  It's very complicated!  It involves dispersion and atmospheric refraction and mirages.  (Have I mentioned that I did very poorly in Physics?)

But because of this conversation, when I happened to be walking by an ocean view near sunset, I decided to walk out the door to watch.  And what do you know, a Green Flash appeared as the sun dipped below the horizon!  I tried to take pictures but was disappointed that they didn't come out.

Because the conditions were similar tonight I decided to try again.  This time I had looked up some recommendations for photographing Green Flashes. 

 

It doesn't look as green as it did while I was watching, but I hope you can see the potential.  

I don't think I'm going to try to explain Green Flashes myself.  But I'll vouch for the existence of them and point you to these web pages by Andrew Young (Astronomy Department at San Diego State University) which I found very helpful for starting to learn about Green Flashes.

 

These cold, clear nights offer prime conditions for seeing Green Flashes.  But heed all of the warnings about not looking at the sun until it has set — you won't see the green until then anyway!