🏝️ Dr Topaz@dr.topaz

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Red Sprite Great Plains

That eerie red flash hovering over a storm is known as a red sprite. It is definitely not an aurora, nor is it a laser beam or standard lightning. This specific type of upper-atmospheric lightning forms high above intense thunderstorms, sitting roughly 50, 90 kilometers (30, 55 miles) above the cloud tops. That altitude places it far higher than ordinary lightning strikes. For only a few milliseconds, a massive electrical discharge can briefly light up the upper atmosphere in a brilliant red hue. The lightning flashing below and the red sprite appearing above can occur during the same storm event. However, the sprite takes place far beyond the top of the thundercloud itself. These phenomena are so fleeting that you might miss one entirely even while actively watching the storm. What appears to be something from another planet is actually happening right above our own weather systems. This particular display was observed over the Great Plains in the United States

3w

🏝️ Dr Topaz@dr.topaz

Follow

Red Sprite Great Plains

That eerie red flash hovering over a storm is known as a red sprite. It is definitely not an aurora, nor is it a laser beam or standard lightning. This specific type of upper-atmospheric lightning forms high above intense thunderstorms, sitting roughly 50, 90 kilometers (30, 55 miles) above the cloud tops. That altitude places it far higher than ordinary lightning strikes. For only a few milliseconds, a massive electrical discharge can briefly light up the upper atmosphere in a brilliant red hue. The lightning flashing below and the red sprite appearing above can occur during the same storm event. However, the sprite takes place far beyond the top of the thundercloud itself. These phenomena are so fleeting that you might miss one entirely even while actively watching the storm. What appears to be something from another planet is actually happening right above our own weather systems. This particular display was observed over the Great Plains in the United States

3w