Very eerie sunset was observed on 24 September in California. A source said: “At sunset the Sun did something strange — it has been split, one part went over the horizon, and the other continued to Shine”.
California sunsets are famous for their unusual shapes due to the temperature inversion that distorts the shape of the lights over the cold ocean surface. But in this case the vertical temperature profile was a layer cake. The sun’s rays have undergone multiple refraction.
While some layers of the solar disk were descending, the other remained in the field of view of the observer. The length of each highly compressed full image of the Sun was accompanied by a green flash. Some romantic sunset added a couple of whales.
The green ray is a rare optic phenomenon that can be observed only a few seconds under a clear sky and transparent atmosphere in the time of the disappearance of the solar disk below the horizon, or when it appears over it. This occurs due to the decomposition of white sunlight into a spectrum as it passes through the layer of the atmosphere. In this case, the layer of the atmosphere plays the role of the prism in the famous experiment of Newton.
The essence of the phenomenon due to the different degree of refraction of light waves of different lengths in the clear in a dense medium. It is scientifically proven that the color blue is refracted stronger than red. At sunset due to the absorption of light waves of short-wavelength spectrum of the entire disk becomes red. As it is lowering behind the horizon, the red rays go upstairs. But due to the low scattering ability, we hardly see the sky is blue and gradually darkens. Then there are rays of yellow and then green. We see for a few seconds.
Last rays of blue and purple. However, due to high ability to absorb them can be seen rarely, only in a very transparent atmosphere. So often the last sun beam is green. At sunrise, the reverse sequence of events. The first light blue-green, then it is added to yellow, then orange, and last appears red.
