Solar Blue Flash - Red Flash

From the photographer: “I took pictures at the setting Sun. As a solar mirages enthusiast, my plan was to observe and capture the legendary green ray. The phenomenon of the green ray can appear in the three following forms: (a) The green rim, which, as a matter of fact, can always be distinguished along the top of the sun’s disc and becomes wider the nearer it descends towards the horizon; at the same time the lower part becomes red. (b) The green segment. The last segment becomes green at the extremities, and this green colour shifts gradually towards the center of the segment. (c) The green ray itself. This phenomenon, visible to naked eye, is seen extremely seldom. It is a green ray similar in appearance to a flame, which shoots up out of the horizon just as the sun is disappearing or appearing. In all these three forms its colour is mostly emerald, seldom yellow. Sometimes it is blue or even violet. The photographic session was able to record both the red and the blue segment. Moreover, due to the presence of layers of discontinuity indenting the sun’s disc, the segments appeared as a red and blue flash. My happiness was proportional to the wonder: what a wonderful and unforgettable sight!”

Technical Info: Camera: Nikon F3 + DW4 magnifier finder + MD4 motor drive, Film: FUJI Reala 100, Shutter speed: 1/2000 1/1000, Telescope: Pentax SDHF 75mm + Nikon TC 201 2x teleconverter, Focal length: 1000 mm, Focal ratio: f/13.4
© Pierluigi Giacobazzi – misterp.it