Green Ray: a natural phenomenon that brings happiness

On February 28, Mike Kelly watched the sunset over the Pacific Ocean while west of Redwood National Park in California. Suddenly, an unusual green fragment seemed to separate from the sun. Kelly took this picture just before the sun disappeared behind the waves.

This phenomenon is called the green ray. Temperature inversions above the ocean surface " cut " the visible solar disk into pancake-like layers. Kelly noted that it was very interesting to watch the three disappearing "pancakes" suddenly turn green.

The Pacific Ocean is an excellent place to observe this phenomenon, since the refraction of rays occurs in a non-uniform environment due to frequent temperature changes in the sea air.

The green ray is considered a rare atmospheric phenomenon. There are many beliefs according to which his observation brings happiness. Jules Verne has a novel of the same name, based on the Scottish legend of the green ray, which gives happiness to those who see it.