On the Trail: Tales of a mighty sunset

"We saw the green flash!"

This is a comment seldom heard, but often speculated upon by many sunset aficionados in Southwest Florida. With our perfect view of the waterfront setting sun, the controversy over the famous green flash is well known.

Old sailors from a time gone by believed that a green flash after sunset was God taking the souls of shipwrecked mariners.

Recently offshore, on one of our perfect weather days, when the sails were full-and-by-the-wind and the movement of sailing through the water almost magical, an inspired young lady made the comment, "The sunset should be great tonight. I wonder if we'll see the green flash?"

Her friend asked, "I wonder if that's real? I've only heard about it."

Across the boat, a gentlemen answered, "It's real enough, I see it all the time."

Blessed with the privilege of guiding sailing excursions along our scenic shores, and quite often the proverbial fly on the wall, I settled in to listen about something I might have seen once as a child.

The gentleman on the boat that day explained that he was a commercial airline pilot and with a cruising altitude of 33,000 to 38,000 feet, the green flash is always visible. Always, because flight deck crews on airliners have the best sunset and sunrise vantage points possible.

"When you're that high up," the pilot explained, "you see everything. When flying west, we actually chase the sunset and at 600 miles per hour the setting sun scenario lasts much longer. The colors are brighter than at ground levels, and the clouds more majestic, but when the sun finally slips below the horizon, there is only a second of dusk before a bright green flash lights up the sky."

Ernest K. Gann is a novelist who wrote The High and the Mighty and Gentlemen of Adventure — works of fiction inspired by the miracle of aviation and the individuals compelled to pursue the fine art of defying gravity.

As all the sailors that day listened in awe to our own gentleman of adventure, he nonchalantly continued to explain.

"When flying east, the sunrises are almost better, but just before the first sliver of sunlight, the green flash arcs across the horizon. Even though you know it's going to happen, and you might have a first-time flight attendant on the flight deck to watch, it is always surprising when that bright green flash pops and the sunrise begins faster and more beautiful than you can ever believe possible."

The boat sailed on in silence as everyone was absorbed and intrigued by our pilot's remarks. Then after a moment, he looked around to all of us watching and laughed. "Why do you think pilots keep working?" he said. "Even after pay cut after pay cut — it's about the adventure!"

At sunset or sunrise, scientists tell us that the top edge of the sun will sometimes be bright green. The green lasts only a second as the full spectrum of color increases or decreases. The before or after result is the green flash, but the flash is only visible on very clear days. The legendary flash of green is most often seen over a distant horizon such as a large body of water or a flatland desert.

For us ground-bound observers, to hope for a green flash the sky must be perfectly clear with no clouds all the way down to the horizon. Then with a little luck, an attitude for adventure and the right conditions, we just might get to say, "We saw the Green Flash!"