Burning Tree Sprite . ... It shows what appears to be a "burning tree" above the National Cheng Kung University campus in Tainan City, Taiwan ... but the burning tree is actually a fleeting red sprite 300 kilometers away. Red sprites are recently discovered and still poorly understood optical flashes seen dancing at altitudes of 30 to 90 kilometers above thunderstorms. ... NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers . NASA Official: Jay Norris. ... A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC . ...