Sprites and elves haunt nighttime thunderclouds

Ever since I learned about sprites, the bizarre electric discharges associated with thunderstorms that shoot up in the sky instead of down to the ground, I’ve wanted to see one. July’s a great month to be on the look out for these … Continue reading →

Red sprites captured by astronauts aboard the space station on April 30, 2012 while they passed over Myanmar (Burma) and just north of Malaysia. The white glow is lighting inside a thundercloud. Credit: NASA
Ever since I learned about sprites, the bizarre electric discharges associated with thunderstorms that shoot up in the sky instead of down to the ground, I’ve wanted to see one. July’s a great month to be on the look out for these short-lived red flashes that come and go in milliseconds. They occur some 50 miles above active thunderstorms – about the same level as noctilucent clouds – and extend upward from 12 to 19 miles. The name refers to the phenomenon’s spooky, elusive nature like the folkloric fairies of old.
Red sprite with blue tendrils extending downward. Click to see a short movie of a sprite. Credit: Univ. of Alaska, Fairbanks
Dr. Dave Sentman of the University of Alaska, ...