I was down on the beach 60kms north of Dubha on the Red Sea last weekend. It is an absolute pleasure to go snorkeling in the sea, and to see all the fish.
As the sun went down I pointed out to a Polish friend of mine that he should pay particular attention the the last segment of the sun as it went down. I said it should flash green. He probably though pigs could fly. Anyway, we watched it, and just as I said the sun flashed green just before it disappeared. My friend was absolutely gobsmacked. He had never heard of the green flash before. For my part it was also a first. I have looked out for it many times over the course of my lifetime but have never seen it until now. However a good clear sea horizon is needed. I did see it on Venus, however, from Zimbabwe, as the planet was rising.
During twilight, the International Space Station passed over and was very bright at around mag -5.
Later, after twilight, I saw a superb display of Zodiacal Light. Combined with the Milky Way it created an enormous V-shaped configuration. Very impressive.
by Colin Henshaw