Distorted Green Flash Sunset over Italy
Image Credit & Copyright:
Paolo Lazzarotti
This was one strange sunset.
For one thing, the
typically round Sun appeared distorted, geometrically, and
multiply layered.
For another, some of these layers appeared unusually green.
The Sun,
of course, was just fine -- its odd appearance was caused entirely by its
light refracting in the Earth's atmosphere.
When layers of the Earth's atmosphere are unusually warm, layers of the Sun may
appear distorted or even seen multiple times.
The effect is most
strong nearest sunrise and sunset when terrestrial
inversion layers
occupy distinct
altitudes above the horizon.
Different colors
of the Sun may also become deflected by significantly different amounts, so that the uppermost
superior image may appear
momentarily green -- a phenomenon known as a
green flash.
The featured image was taken in February from
Porto Venere,
Italy, with
San Pietro church
situated in the foreground.