"Green Ray" the extreme western point of Latvia

The extreme western point of the Republic of Latvia "Green Rays" is located in Bernāti. In 1998, the sculptor Vilnis Titans placed symbolic stone signs in four of Latvia's most remote geographical points. Each sign has its own name.

The green flash and the green beam are optical meteorological phenomena that sometimes appear temporarily around sunset or sunrise. If the conditions are right, a pronounced green area is temporarily visible above the top edge of the solar disk; a green appearance usually lasts no more than two seconds.

According to Ilgonis Vilks, a researcher at the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Latvia, and Vilnis Skuja, a zoologist, although the green ray can be seen in the distance behind the tree tops, it is best to see it by the sea, where there is a flat horizon.

What exactly is the green line that surrounds the sun falling in the sea? "The Earth's atmosphere refracts sunlight, acting as a weak prism. Many at school have taken part in an experiment that produces rainbow colors. The top edge of the solar disk is like a rainbow bar.

Considering that the solar disk is bright, we cannot see the rainbow until the last moment, » says Ilgonis Vilks.

It turns out that there are also blue and purple colors along the edge of the solar disk. If you look at I very tensely, you can also see it a bit. "The atmosphere of blue is the most diffuse, so the sky is blue." However, the green color breaks through.

The natural phenomenon is rare because it requires very clear air to see it, but it is mostly dusty and vibrating, says the astronomer. "A diligent sunset watcher who goes to the sea every night can see the green beam about five times in the summer. If the beam is only yellow-green, don't notice it because you need to know what you want to see. "The temperature of the air and water matters - a better effect is when the air is warm, the water is cold or vice versa. Vilks adds that there is a belief:

the green ray brings happiness.

He does not know where this belief came from, but he gladly believes it.