Green Flash Observed from Marina di Pisa, Italy

Photographer: Marco MenieroSummary Author: Marco Meniero

This beautiful photo of the setting Sun accompanied by a green flash was taken from Marina di Pisa, Italy on July 22, 2024. According to the World Meteorological Organization a green ray is the predominantly green coloration, of short duration, often in the form of a flash, seen at the extreme upper edge of the Sun, Moon or sometimes even a planet when disappearing below or appearing above the horizon. 

This is how the French writer Jules Verne describes the green ray in the sentimental novel Le Rayon Vert, written in 1882: "...‘green,’ but a most wonderful green, a green which no artist could ever obtain on his palette, a green which neither the varied tints of vegetation nor the shades of the most limpid sea could ever produce the like! If there be green in Paradise, it cannot but be of this shade, which most surely is the true green of Hope!"

The green ray or flash undoubtedly strikes the imagination. Many believe it's a legendary phenomenon, but it's real, and not even that difficult to observe. If we were in the habit of pausing for a moment in contemplation, while the Sun sets or rises, in the few minutes in which we can admire our home star, perhaps we would notice the flash of green without needing to go to exotic locations or special spots where it's believed to be more visible. 

Photo Details: Nikon Z9 camera; 320 ISO, Nikon Z400 /4.5 S + Nikon Z 2X lens; f/20, 1/50 second exposure.

Marina di Pisa, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy Coordinates: 43.6724, 10.2754

Related Links: Distorted Sun and Green FlashMarco's Website