Sprites or red sprites are large-scale electric discharges that occur in the mesosphere, high above thunderstorm clouds, or cumulonimbus, giving rise to a varied range of visual shapes flickering in the night sky.

Nov 12, 2023 · A red sprite is a type of upper-atmospheric electrical discharge that appears at altitudes between 50–90 km (31–56 mi) in the atmosphere above some thunderstorms. Sprites are huge. Some are 50 km (31 mi) in diameter. Sometimes a red halo precedes a sprite.

Jul 22, 2023 · Lightning sprites – also known as red sprites – happen in Earth’s mesosphere, up to 50 miles (80 km) high in the sky.

Jul 10, 2024 · Transient Luminous Events (TLEs), including red sprites, are colorful bursts of energy that appear above storms as a result of lightning activity occurring in and below storms on Earth. Crew members typically capture TLEs with wide focal lengths during Earth timelapses.

Jul 13, 2022 · Red lightning, also known as a "sprite", is an intriguing weather phenomenon associated with certain very intense thunderstorms. While an ordinary lightning flash extends downward from the...

Dec 30, 2024 · Red sprites are a type of transient luminous event (TLE). These are large-scale electrical discharges that occur high above thunderstorms in the mesosphere, between 50 and 90 kilometers above Earth’s surface.

red sprites and blue jets, flashes of light that occur above thunderstorms and that are associated with normal lightning in the thundercloud below. The causes of both phenomena are not known. Red sprites tend to form almost instantaneously over a broad region between 40 and 90 km (about 25 to 55 miles) in altitude.

May 26, 2022 · Sprites or red sprites are large-scale electrical discharges that occur high above thunderstorm clouds, or cumulonimbus, giving rise to a quite varied range of visual shapes flickering in the night sky.

Aug 21, 2013 · The elusive red lightning called sprites last less than a second. They form above the tops of thunderclouds, when lightning bolts trigger a burst of red light in electrically charged...

Apr 23, 2019 · You've just witnessed a lightning-like electrical discharge high in the atmosphere known as a sprite. Paul Smith captured the elusive phenomenon Wednesday night as storms raged over northwest Oklahoma and the Panhandle.