For those who follow me on our Facebook page, you know that watching the sunset is one of my favorite activities here on St. John. This time of year is extra special because it’s the one time of year we can we possibly see the green flash.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the green flash, it’s something very cool that can happen here over the winter months. Just as the sun sets over the horizon, you can see a quick flash of green as the upper rim of the sun falls into the water. (It obviously doesn’t fall into the water, but you all know what I mean 🙂 ) It only lasts for about a second or two, so you really have to be lucky to actually see it. I’ve only seen it twice, but it was very cool. (I saw it in late December – both times from Coconuts villa on Gifft Hill.)
The reason we can see it during this time of year is because the sun is currently setting between St. Thomas and Great St. James island. We will only have a few days of this and then the sun will set behind Great St. James. But later this month, it will be visible once again as the sun sets between Great St. James and Little St. James islands. That is where it set when I saw the green flash from Coconuts villa.
So if you are lucky enough to be in town this month, head over to Frank Bay and look for it. That’s a great spot. Or if you are lucky enough to have a sunset view where you’re staying, check it out from home. I promise you it’s very cool. And if any of you have a picture of it, please send it to us at [email protected].
In the meantime, check out this sunset time lapse video I took the other night using my iPhone 6 Plus. There were clouds at the horizon so no green flash this night.