Syd Curtis wrote:
> I was both surprised and delighted when
> watching the sun setting ... to see
> a very definite green flash.
I used to think that the likelihood of seeing a green flash is
directly proportional to the amount of alcohol consumed while waiting
for the phenomenon to manifest itself. While a mai tai may help you
see it, the green flash is a genuine natural event caused by
diffraction of the sun's rays at sunset. For an explanation of the
physics involved and links to many web sites with photos, see
http://mintaka.sdsu.edu/GF/
I don't think the green flash is referred to as St. Somebody's Fire.
You may be thinking of St. Elmo's Fire, which is the common name for
a glow caused by a certain type of electrical discharge between storm
clouds and the ground. It is most commonly seen in the rigging of
sailing ships at sea. The masts are the tallest point between the
clouds and the ocean, and act as a conductor to ground.
--oryoki
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