The phenomenon is nothing if not spectacular. Image Credit: YouTube / European Space Agency
Scientists have recorded footage of a spectacular natural phenomenon that is only clearly visible from space.
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.
The blue jet is nowhere near as interesting as the planet-wide burst of light that occurred near the edge of space with its expanding circle centered around the blue jet!
Please Login or Register to post a comment.