The fabled “green flash” is a rare optical phenomenon that occurs just after the sun sets or just before it rises and is due to the refraction of light under certain conditions. This unpredictable event was first popularized by the 1882 novel The Green Ray by Jules Verne and, more recently, was used as a plot device in the 2007 film Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. Not many people have seen a green flash, but John Grube, a Santa Barbara doctor (DDS), has not only witnessed several of them but has managed to photograph them as well—quite a feat, considering that the flash lasts less than two seconds.
To quote Dr. Grube on the subject, “Generally thought of as a tropical phenomenon, the ‘Green Flash’ does occur in Santa Barbara during the winter months. A green flash can be seen just as the upper rim of the sun disappears over the horizon when setting over the ocean. From our home, during December and February, the sun sets between Point Conception and San Miguel Island, giving us an ocean sunset view. The second requirement seems to be a northwest or westerly wind. An offshore wind, or Santa Ana condition, puts too much particulate matter in the air and gives orange/red sunsets where the sun seems to linger for a long tine on the horizon before finally setting. In the attached photos, taken February 4, a green band can be seen on the horizon. However, if this is enlarged to the level of individual pixels, other colors of the spectrum can be seen on the edges. I hope everyone gets to see this spectacle at some time. It is like a green punctuation mark at the end of a beautiful day.”
Apart from being a terrific photographer, John is also a “flying doctor”: “I am the director of a group called Aeromédicos that flies to Baja Del Sur Mexico to deliver medical and dental care to remote areas. I am a pilot with my own plane. Our group makes an average of 8-9 trips a year to Baja where we land on remote dirt strips. My hobbies include sailing, surfing, golf, skiing, and photography. One of my interests is learning more about geology, especially Baja Geology.” For more about the fabulous humanitarian work of Dr. Grube and Aeromédicos, see http://www.aeromedicos.org; for more about the fabulous green flash, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_flash.
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