The author recounts watching sunsets along the Southern California coast and chasing the fleeting "green flash." A surf filmmaker, Jacob Moss, recorded clear footage of the sun briefly turning green as it set off Oahu. Experts explain the effect as atmospheric dispersion — the atmosphere acting like a prism — producing a brief mirage at the horizon. The clip offers compelling evidence for skeptics and a reminder of nature’s subtle spectacles.
Video Proof: The Elusive 'Green Flash' Caught Over the Pacific
A diagram, showing how green flashes occur.EarthSky
Growing up on the Southern California coast, my family made a habit of watching sunsets and hoping to catch the fleeting atmospheric phenomenon known as the “green flash.” Sometimes it appeared, sometimes not — but when it did, those final seconds of the sun would glow a brief jade before slipping below the horizon.
Recently, surf cinematographer Jacob Moss, based on the North Shore of Oahu, captured clear footage of that exact moment: the sun edging toward the horizon, subtly shifting color, and then flashing green before disappearing beneath the Pacific. For many skeptics, this clip provides convincing visual evidence that the green flash is real.
What Causes the Green Flash? I’m no scientist, but the basic explanation is straightforward: the Earth’s atmosphere acts like a prism. As sunlight passes through more atmosphere near the horizon, it bends and disperses into different colors. Shorter wavelengths (blue, green, violet) are refracted more than longer wavelengths (red, orange, yellow), so under the right conditions the green component can become visible for a few seconds.
“The Earth’s atmosphere acts like a prism, separating sunlight into different colors. A green flash is a result of observing rays through an increasingly thicker atmosphere. As the Sun rises or dips below the horizon, the light bends and is dispersed into the atmosphere. Different colors bend in different amounts depending on their wavelengths. Colors with shorter wavelengths, such as blue, green, and violet, reflect more strongly than colors with longer wavelengths, such as red, orange, and yellow.” — Farmer’s Almanac
EarthSky and other sources illustrate how this effect is essentially a type of mirage: atmospheric refraction can separate colors and, combined with a clear horizon and stable air, produce a brief green appearance. It’s subtle — nothing like the cinematic spark shown in the Pirates of the Caribbean films — but entirely real when the conditions align.
If you’ve ever doubted the green flash, Moss’s video is worth watching. For photographers, sailors, and sunset lovers, it’s a reminder that small, rare moments of natural spectacle really do occur — sometimes in plain sight and sometimes only for a second.
Originally published in the News section of Surfer on Jan 7, 2026.
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