Sprites, also called red sprites, are TLEs that occur high above thunderstorm clouds or cumulonimbus, triggered by intense electrical activity in the thunderstorms. While sprites themselves are not everyday events, further study of the image revealed that what Ayers caught wasn’t a sprite, but a rarer TLE called a gigantic jet.
A gigantic jet happens above thunderstorms, firing powerful bursts of electrical charge from the top of the thunderstorm (about 20 km above the ground) into the upper atmosphere (about 100 km above the ground). The upper part of gigantic jets produces red emissions identical to sprites. But while gigantic jets burst directly from the top of thunderstorms, sprites form independently, much higher in the atmosphere, appearing around 50 miles (80 km) above the Earth’s surface.
Aside from gigantic jets and sprites, other known TLEs include blue jets, halos, and ELVEs (Emissions of Light and Very Low Frequency perturbations due to Electromagnetic Pulse Sources). Halos and ELVEs could accompany or precede sprites. Images of TLEs help scientists to better understand how they are formed, their characteristics, and their relationships to thunderstorms. So NASA is calling for public submissions, if you have ever captured a photo of a similar event, head over to Spritacular to submit your photo(s).
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