Астронет: Астрономическая картинка дня Красные спрайты над Ла-Маншем http://variable-stars.ru/db/msg/1384414/eng |
Credit & Copyright: Stephane Vetter
(Nuits sacrees,
TWAN)
Explanation:
Mysterious and incredibly brief, red sprites are
seen to occur high above large thunderstorms on planet Earth.
While they have been recorded
from low
Earth orbit or high flying airplanes,
these dancing, lightning-like events were
captured in video frames
from a mountain top perch in northern France.
Taken
during the night of May 28, the remarkably clear,
unobstructed view looks toward a multicell storm system raging
over the English Channel about 600 kilometers away.
Lasting only a few milliseconds,
the red sprite association with
thunderstorms is known.
Still, much remains a mystery about the fleeting apparitions
including the nature of their relation to other
upper atmospheric lightning
phenomena such as blue jets or satellite detected
terrestrial gamma flashes.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.