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What causes red sprites and blue jets?
red sprites and blue jets, flashes of light that occur above thunderstorms and that are associated with normal lightning in the thundercloud below. In the rain-soaked Indian state of Meghalaya, locals train the fast-growing trees to grow over rivers, turning the trees into living bridges.
What are sprites blue jets and elves?
Red sprites, blue jets and elves are upper atmospheric optical phenomena associated with thunderstorms that have only recently been documented by using low light level television technology. These phenomena are collectively called Transient Luminous Events (TLE’s).
Are red sprites rare?
A red sprite is the easiest TLE to see. They aren’t actually rare but they’re just not commonly seen because no one’s looking for them!
When were red sprites discovered?
Red sprites have been reported for decades by airline pilots but have been photographed and studied by scientists only in the last seven years. The flashes were first photographed by accident on a clear summer night in 1988 by two University of Minnesota physicists experimenting with a low-light video camera.
How is heat lightning created?
While many people incorrectly think that heat lightning is a specific type of lightning, it is simply the light produced by a distant thunderstorm. Often, mountains, hills, trees or just the curvature of the earth prevent the observer from seeing the actual lightning flash.
Why is sprite lightning red?
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. They are usually triggered by the discharges of positive lightning between an underlying thundercloud and the ground.
Is orange lightning real?
Red lightning within a cloud indicates the presence of rain. Yellow or orange lightning occurs when there is a large concentration of dust in the air. White lightning is a sign of low humidity or a little amount of moisture in the air.
Is there purple lightning?
Purple or lilac-tinted lightning bolt is often caused by high atmospheric humidity; which means the thunderstorm is accompanied by high-precipitation. Yellow lightning is uncommon; however, they tend to be cooler than the blue, lilac and white. They’re caused to due to a high concentration of dust in the air.
How hot is green lightning?
How Hot Is Green Lightning? Green lightning is slightly cooler than purple lightning but that doesn’t mean you’d want to get struck by it. It still manages to pack in an incredible 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit!