Space & Astronomy

ISS records 'blue jet' lightning from space

By T.K. Randall
January 25, 2021 ·  2 comments

The phenomenon is nothing if not spectacular. Image Credit: YouTube / European Space Agency Filmed from high above the clouds through cameras aboard the International Space Station, this impressive form of lightning - which appears as a blue vertical column - is usually hard to see.

This particular example, which can be seen in the video below, was captured on February 26th, 2019 shooting out of a thunderstorm cell above the small Pacific island of Nauru.It was preceded by five distinct flashes lasting mere milliseconds and accompanied by tiny flashes of ultraviolet light - a phenomenon known as 'Elves' (Emissions of Light and Very Low Frequency Perturbations due to Electromagnetic Pulse Source.)

According to scientists, the blue jets themselves occur when a cloud's positively-charged upper region interacts with the negatively-charged boundary between the cloud and the air above it.

There is however still much to learn about this intriguing, yet mysterious phenomenon.


Source: Live Science | Comments (2)

Tags: Lightning