4. The Green Flash
The green flash? I'm not talking about the fictional DC comic character with super-speed. I'm talking about the rare optical phenomena that occurs after sunset or before sunrise. In a brief moment of seconds or less, a green flash can be seen above the sun.
It's coming.
The explanation for this green light isn't due to a mystical ghost-pirate ship floating the seas far off. As with all the other optical phenomenas, it's due to light refraction. As we all know, the farther away from the earth you go, the less air you'll find. The light that hits the earth finds itself bending due to the thinner air in the higher atmosphere and the denser air molecules in the lower atmosphere. Since the higher frequency blue/green light bends easier than lower frequency light, you get to actually see the light for a brief moment. In order for the green flash to occur to our naked eye, the atmosphere must be especially dense in order to magnify the green light long enough for our silly/weak eyes to see it.
