The Green Flash

Ho Hum, another Hawaiian Sunset, this time from the porch of the suite our friends Ken and Ronnie were staying in, in Maui.  They insisted we be there before sunset, so we were, and I brought a telephoto lens, and we were not disappointed.  The rays of light above the clouds, that seem to be radiating from the Sun are called "crepuscular rays" and they give a lovely effect during sunset.  But here is the special part.  When you watch a sunset over the water on a clear day, you can look for the "green flash" as the last bit of the Sun disappears below the horizon.  It is an effect that is caused by atmospheric refraction - where the atmosphere acts as a prism and divides the white light into color - and for some reason, green is the color we see as the sun slips below the horizon.  You need binoculars or a telephoto lens, so I was able to capture the effect.  Here is that photograph, below.