Credit & Copyright: Murray Schukar
Explanation:
Taken on March 20 from the top of
Haleakala on the isle of Maui,
planet Earth, the first sunrise of
northern spring is pictured in this
vacation snapshot.
The telephoto view from the volcanic caldera above a
sea of clouds also captures an elusive
green flash
near the Sun's upper limb.
Atmospheric layers with sharp temperature changes
cause the colorful flash as the Sun rises behind a distant
cloud bank.
Refraction along sight lines through the layers creates
multiple distorted images of the Sun,
and for a moment,
can visibly deflect shorter wavelength green light.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: green flash
Publications with words: green flash
See also: