Still Waters Posted July 24, 2013 #1 Share Posted July 24, 2013 In the blink of an eye, an enormous bright red light flashes above a thundercloud, spreading energetic branches that extend five times taller than Mount Everest and look like jellyfish tendrils and angel's wings. These mysterious phenomena are known as Transient Luminous Events (TLEs), and are usually invisible to the naked eye because they happen on millisecond timescales, too fast to be seen. They occur between 50 to 100 kilometers above the ground, a long-ignored area of the atmosphere that is too high for aircraft but too low for satellites to investigate. There, the thin air interacts with strong electrical fields to ionize molecules and create arcing plasmas. http://www.wired.com...uminous-events/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacques Terreur Posted July 25, 2013 #2 Share Posted July 25, 2013 (edited) how cool.... thought those "sprites" were only observed from space before. I find it very exciting and cool that there are natural phenomena that are still relatively new to science, this reminds me always that us humans have not reached all knowledges' end yet... want a little bet though? ...on how many posts it takes until someone attributes that to "flying lizards"? (edit: is it a: "us humans" or b: "we humans" or c: "none of the above"?? ) Edited July 25, 2013 by Jacques Terreur Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cacoseraph Posted August 28, 2013 #3 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Red sprites are a lightning like effect sometimes seen above storms. They are pretty hard to take pictures of and not much is known about the exact mechanism behind them. Apparently they are quite beautiful and intricate. Fly above a thunderstorm and you may be lucky enough to see some red sprites. These are not mythical fairy-like creatures, but fleeting electrical discharges akin to lightning. http://www.newscient...aska-storm.html 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keel M. Posted August 28, 2013 #4 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Wow! Those are cool! I've never heard of red sprites, nor seen any while flying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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