Red sprite over Europe

Soheil_Esy

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Thursday, Sep. 3, 2015

As September begins, solar activity is low. Nevertheless, space weather continues. High above thunderstorms in Europe, red sprites are dancing across the cloudtops, reaching up to the edge of space itself. Martin Popek photographed these specimens on Sept. 1st from Nýdek, the Czech republic:

sprites_strip.jpg

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Taken by Martin Popek on September 1, 2015 @ Nýdek, Czech republic


"I used a zoom lens for a close-up view of these sprites, which could just be seen over the treetops as they jumped upward from a distant storm," says Popek.

Inhabiting the upper reaches of Earth's atmosphere alongside noctilucent clouds, meteors, and some auroras, sprites are a true space weather phenomenon. Some researchers believe they are linked to cosmic rays: subatomic particles from deep space striking the top of Earth's atmosphere produce secondary electrons that, in turn, could provide the spark that triggers sprites.

Although sprites have been seen for at least a century, most scientists did not believe they existed until after 1989 when sprites were photographed by cameras onboard the space shuttle. Now "sprite chasers" regularly photograph the upward bolts from their own homes. Give it a try.

http://spaceweather.com/

Auroras Arboralis

Electrical Interaction Between Trees And Atmosphere.

Nicolas-Zea-Posada-_ZEA0783-L_Zea-m_1441202349_lg.jpg

Large JPG image
Taken by Nicolas Zea Posada on September 1, 2015 @ Umeå, Västerbotten, Sweden


Camera Used: RICOH IMAGING COMPANY, LTD. PENTAX K-3
Exposure Time: 1/6400
Aperture: f/5.6
ISO: 3200
Date Taken: 2015:09:02 12:38:25

Details:
Well, I have saw something that flowing from trees to atmosphere.
I think these lines are not vapor, I think is any kind of electrical interaction between trees and atmosphere.
I will name this album as Auroras Arboralis :-D

http://spaceweathergallery.com/indi...d=117050&PHPSESSID=cav5re1nt0t5vgtt40davj7qi6
 
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Lmoy

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So are they basically a kind of aurora? That's what it seems like.
Very beautiful, regardless.
 

Urwumpe

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So are they basically a kind of aurora? That's what it seems like.
Very beautiful, regardless.

Sprites are some kind of cold lightning, which form above powerful thunderstorms, which makes them different to auroras. Also, their presence is not linked to geomagnetic storms. Instead, they seem to be formed by many ball-shaped ionization cores, like inside a florescent tube. They require a strong positive cloud to ground discharge below to trigger.

Cosmic radiation is one possible contributing factor there, since it might help creating a charge in the upper mesosphere that creates the necessary difference in electrical potential for such a discharge.
 
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