Twice Red, Two Green Rims, Two Castles
… and both within a few days around the of June 2026 solstice. First one on 25 June, 2026, when the Sun with its big sunspoots was about to set over the Lichnice Castle. The second one just on the upper edge of “Strawberry Moon” on 29 June, 2026, when the Moon just appeared over the Kunetic Castle.
In both cases, take a closer look just on the upper edge of the Sun/Moon. You can see it little bit green. The green rim is a not common atmospheric optical phenomenon that appears just before sunrise or immediately after sunset, when a thin green band briefly forms along the upper edge of the Sun or, more rarely, the Moon. It is caused by atmospheric refraction, which bends different colors of light by slightly different amounts. As the Sun or Moon approaches the horizon, the atmosphere disperses the light, allowing the green portion of the spectrum to become visible for a second or two while the red and orange hues dominate the rest of the disk. The effect is most often observed over a clear, distant horizon, such as the ocean, but it can also be seen from elevated locations with exceptionally stable atmospheric conditions. I have seen many of them, but not so short between one sunset and one moorise (over a castle in both cases).
In both cases, the objects are also deep red. It also has simple explanation. When the Sun or Moon is low above the horizon, its light must travel through a much longer and thicker layer of Earth’s atmosphere than when it is high in the sky. Along this longer path, air molecules and tiny particles scatter the shorter wavelengths of light—blue and violet—much more efficiently than the longer red and orange wavelengths. As a result, most of the blue light is scattered out of the direct beam before it reaches the observer, leaving the transmitted light enriched in red, orange, and yellow hues. Dust, smoke, volcanic ash, or pollution can enhance this effect by increasing the scattering of shorter wavelengths, making the Sun or Moon appear an even deeper red near the horizon.
Used Nikon Z6III, 1400mm, f10, more details in sunset and moonrise pages.
