The Green Flash Is Real – Here’s How to See It

Into the Impossible With Brian Keating

Brian Keating

Science, Physics, Natural Sciences

4.7 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 26 January 2025

⏱️ 16 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Please join my mailing list here 👉 https://briankeating.com/list to win a meteorite 💥 Have you ever seen the sun turn green? It’s not a camera trick, not an illusion—it’s the incredible Green Flash. Recently, I had the honor of appearing on Andrew Huberman’s podcast ( @hubermanlab ), where we explored how the human eye perceives light. Now, Andrew is an expert in the human eye and neuro-optical systems, so it was a real treat to get to explore this phenomenon with one of the world's most excellent experts. During our conversation, Andrew asked, Could the green flash merely be a trick of human physiology or psychology? Today, we'll explore why his hypothesis is not entirely correct and the science behind the phenomena. I’ve captured this rare emerald glow over 16 times, and in this episode, I’ll teach you how you can see it for yourself. We’ll dive deep into the science behind this phenomenon, bust some myths, and even discuss how climate change is playing a role in its visibility. Along the way, I’ll share the fascinating physics that explains why the sun’s peak color is green (even though it looks yellow to our eyes) and how the interplay of refraction, dispersion, and Rayleigh scattering creates the Green Flash. Plus, you’ll get my go-to settings for both smartphones and DSLRs to photograph it like a pro. — Key Takeaways: 00:00 Intro 00:29 Understanding the Green Flash 02:27 The Color of the Sun 04:33 Refraction and Dispersion 06:32 Scattering and Its Effects 08:48 Climate Change and the Green Flash 11:06 Capturing the Green Flash 13:28 Best Places to View the Green Flash 14:54 Outro — Additional resources: 👁 Train your eyes to see like a professional astronomer: https://youtu.be/lSbyohV1XSE 👉 My full interview with Andrew Huberman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-ukCGQJk2c ➡️ Follow me on your fav platforms: ✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating 🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1 📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/list ✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/cosmic-musings/ 🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast — Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known. Make sure to follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
0:13.3	Open the pod bay doors, out.
0:15.7	Have you ever seen the sun turn green?
0:18.6	It's not an illusion.
0:20.1	It's a rare, real, and stunning effect. And today
0:23.2	I'll show you why the green flash happens, debunk some common myths, and teach you how to capture
0:28.1	it yourself. The green flash is a fascinating confluence of astronomy, planetary physics,
0:34.8	atmospheric optics, and even a little bit of global warming thrown in just for good measure.
0:40.3	I've actually captured the green flash over 16 times using a method I'll share with you today.
0:45.3	Over the next few minutes, you'll learn how to find the perfect conditions, use just two simple camera settings,
0:51.3	and understand why this rare moment of emerald jeweled beauty occurs.
0:56.8	Green flashes are real, and they're spectacular.
1:00.1	Recently, I had the honor of appearing on Andrew Huberman's Huberman Lab podcast,
1:04.1	and we explored how the human eye perceives light.
1:07.3	Now, Andrew's an expert in the human eye in neurooptical systems,
1:10.5	so it was a real treat to get to explore this phenomenon with one of the world's greatest
1:14.3	experts.
1:15.3	During our conversation, Andrew asked, could the green flash merely be a trick of human physiology
1:20.5	or psychology?
1:21.7	The idea was that if you're looking at something that's very enriched in long wavelengths,
1:25.9	like orange, red, and you stare at it for long enough.
1:28.3	One biological explanation is that the sun is setting, and you're looking at this orange
	...

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