Meanings
plural green flashes
- astronomyA rare phenomenon observed in the morning or evening when the sun is crossing or immediately below the horizon, in which a momentary flash or ray of green light appears above the upper rim of the solar disk, caused by the refraction of light in the atmosphere.
Frank T. Davies, physicist on board the City of New York, en route to the Antarctic regions with Byrd Antarctic Expedition, reports as follows on a green flash observed off Bermuda on the evening of August 29, 1928.
1929, J. A. Fleming, "Observations of Green Flash," Science, New Series, vol. 69, no. 1785, p. 298Synonyms: green ray
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA rare phenomenon observed in the morning or evening when the sun is crossing or immediately below the horizon, in which a momentary flash or ray of green light appears above the upper rim of the solar disk, caused by the refraction of light in the atmosphere.
Translations
Japanese 緑閃光, 緑光
- 緑閃光 (ryokusenkō)rare phenomenon
- 緑光 (ryokkō)rare phenomenon
Russian зелёный луч
- зелёный луч (zeljónyj luč)rare phenomenon
Cite this entry
green flash. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/green%20flash
“green flash.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/green%20flash. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “green flash,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/green%20flash.
Source: green flash on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.