“It’s hard being green.” Kermit the Frog

The line comes from the famous 1970 song “Bein’ Green,” first performed by Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog on Sesame Street. Kermit laments that green “blends in with so many ordinary things,” leaving him feeling invisible, overlooked, and ordinary.

As the song unfolds, Kermit realizes that green can be “big, like a mountain… important, like a river.” In time, he learns to accept and value himself. The song’s lasting message is that feeling different can be hard, but embracing who you are can be powerful.

Check out Kermit’s performance at https://youtu.be/51BQfPeSK8k

In contrast to Kermit, being green in night photography is easy. The night sky is often colored green by a phenomenon called airglow.

Here’s how NASA’s Earth Observatory describes it: “The phenomenon typically occurs when molecules (mostly nitrogen and oxygen) are energized by ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight. To release that energy, atoms in the lower atmosphere bump into each other and lose energy in the collision. But the upper atmosphere is thinner, so atoms are less likely to collide. Instead, they release their energy by emitting photons. And the result is colorful airglow.”

It’s usually too faint for the eye alone to see. But under very dark skies, photographers can capture it. Most commonly green, airglow can be red or blue/violet.

From https://youtu.be/XkfcbHv_NRw?si=yvVX2ROWTlt_-RmZ

Airglow is more prominent closer to the horizon because you are looking through more atmosphere. In addition, airglow can resemble waves due to a phenomenon called atmospheric gravity waves.

Rather than trying to explain gravity waves, check out NASA’s short video at svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014400/a014464/14464_AWEOverview_X.mp4

The Shot

In June, I was in the Utah desert for night landscape photography (nightscapes). The night skies there are truly dark, revealing the Milky Way in all its glory. On the evening of June 17, the night sky was also alive with green airglow.

In the image, you can make out gravity waves of green airglow extending from the lower left to the upper right. While it’s possible to tone down the green in post-processing, most nightscapers prefer to include it in our images.

Invisible to the naked eye, but readily apparent on my camera’s LCD review screen, glorious green airglow suffused the night sky. I agreed with Kermit that “green can be cool and friendly like,” perfectly complementing the “flashy…stars in the sky.”

The next Friday Photo will be September 25, as I will be traveling with my wife, Christine, next week.

Thanks for looking,

Chuck Derus Zenfolio | Chuck Derus