A major plot point in the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie hinges on the characters seeing a green flash. I myself have seen it-in my mom’s high-rise condo looking out to the west at the setting sun in a very clear sky (over land, tho the condo is on the ocean which is to the east). I stared intently at the point where the sun was going down, and there she was; pretty cool.
Yup. I’ve watched many ocean sunsets.
While I haven’t watched Pirates of the Carribean, I have watched many beautiful ocean sunsets and have seen the green flash.
Wait, so that’s not just something you tell kids, along the lines of, “Do that long enough and your face will freeze that way”?
Is this a woosh? There really is a flash, or splash? I’ve been told that, but always scoffed at it. “You’re not going to fool me, haha!”
Here’s a nice website that has pictures of ‘the green flash’.
Yes - here’s a picture of one type :
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap021110.html
Follow the links there for more info. There are actually a few different types of green flash; I’ve seen at least two.
Apparently the sunrise green flash is also visible, but I’ve never been in a position to see it. I imagine those who have are a small group.
Sorry to say, I never have but I’ve heard about it since I was a kid (especially with astronomy as a hobby).
I have seen a lot of sunsets hoping to see the “Green Flash” but no. Well, sunsets still look spectacular with or without the Green Flash.
My brother has seen it many times when he was in the Navy. From what I’ve heard, the primary factor in seeing it is a flat, unobstructed terrain. And the ocean seems to fill this requirement quite nicely.
(Incidentally, my brother has seen the sunrise Green Flash too. When you stand watch in the Navy, sometimes you are on duty before most people wake up).
I thought the Green Flash was only visible on the West Coast. Then again, I’ve only ever heard people talk about it here.
I’ve always meant to hang out on the beach at the right time and try to see it. There’s a coffee shop at Pacific Beach (I think–or maybe it’s in La Jolla) called the Green Flash, which IIRC has this as its main selling point.
Heh. This is a bit of an understatement.
Once, for sure. Once, probably. Both from the deck of the S.S. John Sherwin on Lake Michigan. (Not sure why I never saw it on Lake Superior. Lakes Huron and Erie are generally too hazy. My second summer on the lakes it was foggy about 99% of the time.)
fetus
Yes maybe standing watch in the Navy has miserable hours … but sometimes, you get to see the Green Flash.
tomndebb
Interesting that someone else has seen it on board a ship.
Very common in Hawaii 
I saw it for the first time last year. We were living on the Gulf coast.
The funny thing is that I had forgotten all about this phenomenon, and suddenly, there it was.
Nope – and I really would love to. We used to give a lecture about it and a homework problem to our optics students.
When one of my former bosses was on an expoedition to Antarctica, he saw many green flashes at sea. He said you got used to “feeling” good weather for them.
I understand it’s a big thing to sit out at Key West at sunset and watch for them. The phenomenon was also used in the John MacDonald book (and the Ed Harris movie based on it) The Flash of Green A Flash of Green (1984) - IMDb
I used to see it on the west coast of Florida often when I lived there back in the late '70’s.
As a kid we went to the west coast of Florida most years. My dad - a bit of a joker - used to talk about the GF, but I don’t recall ever seeing it. pretty much thought it was just a story.
After my parents died about 10 years ago, my wife and I took our family to the Gulf for vacation. Watching a sunset we were joking about how my dad used to talk about the GF - and then we both saw it. Really cool!
I might be one of the lucky ones to have seen the green flash on both US coasts.
I grew up on the east coast and saw it with the sunrise about 4-5 times.
And, while visiting the west coast, I was able to see it with the sunset only once.
In brightest day, in blackest night…
I didn’t even know (until now) that it was real! :eek:
It’s part of the plot of a Victoria Holt Novel - The Pride of the Peacock.
I LOVE Victoria Holt Novels…
Never heard of it until now. Never seen it until I followed the links.
I guess that’s what happens when you are born and raised in Minnesota.
The late John D. MacDonald included it in several of his Travis McGee novels. McGee lived on a houseboat in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl.