Upper-atmospheric lightning
Researchers sometimes use the terms "upper-atmospheric lightning" and
"ionospheric lightning" to describe a group of short-lived electrical
breakdown phenomena that occur well above the altitudes of typical storm
clouds and lightning. Lightning in the upper atmosphere is thought to be
electrically induced forms of luminous plasma. Because the various
electrical-discharge phenomena in the upper atmosphere lack several
characteristics of the more familiar tropospheric lightning, the preferred
term is transient luminous event (TLE).
In far-ultraviolet images of Jupiter's upper atmosphere, high above the
lightning-producing water clouds, transient luminous events have also
been observed. Characteristics There are several types of TLEs, with
sprites being the most common. Sprites are intense red flashes that appear
above storm systems. The vertical columns of red light are referred to as
C-sprites, which is an abbreviation for "columniform sprites." "Carrot
sprites" are sometimes used to refer to C-sprites with tendrils. Sprite halos,
ghosts, blue jets, gigantic jets, pixies, gnomes, trolls, blue starters, and
ELVESs are additional types of TLEs. ELVES, which stands for "Emission
of Light and Very Low Frequency perturbations due to Electromagnetic
Pulse Sources," is used to describe a singular event that is frequently
regarded as plural. TLEs are secondary phenomena that accompany
underlying thunderstorm lightning in the upper atmosphere.[3] Their
duration typically ranges from less than a millisecond to more than two
seconds. On July 6, 1989, researcher R.C. Franz accidentally recorded the
first TLE video when he left a camera running overnight to observe the
night sky. Two vertical images resembling fingers appeared in two frames
of the recorded video. The Mesoscale Lightning Observation Experiment,
carried out by Shuttle Mission STS-34 in 1989, produced the subsequent
video recordings of a TLE that are currently known to exist. TLEs were
recorded on orbits 44 and 45 on October 21, 1989.
, Numerous optical recording systems have captured TLEs, and the total
number of recently recorded events (early 2009) is estimated to be in the
tens of thousands. From satellite (FORMOSAT-2) observations, it has been
estimated that several million TLE events occur annually globally.
History: In the 1920s, the Scottish physicist C.T.R. Wilson predicted that
the atmosphere would break down electrically high above large
thunderstorms.[4][5] Over the next few decades, aircraft pilots reported
electrical discharges at high altitudes, but meteorologists dismissed them
until 1989, when the first direct visual evidence was found. In order to
avoid implying at the time unknown physical properties, researchers gave
the optical signatures of these events the name "sprites" several years later.
A 1994 aircraft research campaign to study sprites led to the popularity of
the terms "red sprites" and "blue jets." [citation needed] Sprites Main
article: Sprites, also known as lightning strikes, can be seen above Rome
from Antibes. Sprites are large electrical discharges that occur high above
a cumulonimbus—a thunderstorm cloud—and produce a wide variety of
visual shapes. Positive lightning discharges between the thundercloud and
the ground are what cause them.[6] The phenomenon is also a bacronym
for Stratospheric/mesospheric Perturbations Resulting from Intense
Thunderstorm Electrification.[8] Typically, they are reddish-orange or
greenish-blue in color and have hanging tendrils below and arcing
branches above. A reddish halo known as a sprite halo can also precede
them. They often form groups and can be anywhere from 50 to 90
kilometers (31 to 56 miles) above the Earth's surface. Sprites have been
seen great many times.[9] Sprites have been considered liable for in any
case unexplained mishaps including high elevation vehicular tasks above
tempests.
Jets Despite the fact that they are thought to be a type of upper-
atmospheric lightning, it has been discovered that jets are actually parts of
tropospheric lightning and a type of cloud-to-air discharge that begins in a
thunderstorm and moves upwards. Other kinds of TLEs, on the other hand,
Researchers sometimes use the terms "upper-atmospheric lightning" and
"ionospheric lightning" to describe a group of short-lived electrical
breakdown phenomena that occur well above the altitudes of typical storm
clouds and lightning. Lightning in the upper atmosphere is thought to be
electrically induced forms of luminous plasma. Because the various
electrical-discharge phenomena in the upper atmosphere lack several
characteristics of the more familiar tropospheric lightning, the preferred
term is transient luminous event (TLE).
In far-ultraviolet images of Jupiter's upper atmosphere, high above the
lightning-producing water clouds, transient luminous events have also
been observed. Characteristics There are several types of TLEs, with
sprites being the most common. Sprites are intense red flashes that appear
above storm systems. The vertical columns of red light are referred to as
C-sprites, which is an abbreviation for "columniform sprites." "Carrot
sprites" are sometimes used to refer to C-sprites with tendrils. Sprite halos,
ghosts, blue jets, gigantic jets, pixies, gnomes, trolls, blue starters, and
ELVESs are additional types of TLEs. ELVES, which stands for "Emission
of Light and Very Low Frequency perturbations due to Electromagnetic
Pulse Sources," is used to describe a singular event that is frequently
regarded as plural. TLEs are secondary phenomena that accompany
underlying thunderstorm lightning in the upper atmosphere.[3] Their
duration typically ranges from less than a millisecond to more than two
seconds. On July 6, 1989, researcher R.C. Franz accidentally recorded the
first TLE video when he left a camera running overnight to observe the
night sky. Two vertical images resembling fingers appeared in two frames
of the recorded video. The Mesoscale Lightning Observation Experiment,
carried out by Shuttle Mission STS-34 in 1989, produced the subsequent
video recordings of a TLE that are currently known to exist. TLEs were
recorded on orbits 44 and 45 on October 21, 1989.
, Numerous optical recording systems have captured TLEs, and the total
number of recently recorded events (early 2009) is estimated to be in the
tens of thousands. From satellite (FORMOSAT-2) observations, it has been
estimated that several million TLE events occur annually globally.
History: In the 1920s, the Scottish physicist C.T.R. Wilson predicted that
the atmosphere would break down electrically high above large
thunderstorms.[4][5] Over the next few decades, aircraft pilots reported
electrical discharges at high altitudes, but meteorologists dismissed them
until 1989, when the first direct visual evidence was found. In order to
avoid implying at the time unknown physical properties, researchers gave
the optical signatures of these events the name "sprites" several years later.
A 1994 aircraft research campaign to study sprites led to the popularity of
the terms "red sprites" and "blue jets." [citation needed] Sprites Main
article: Sprites, also known as lightning strikes, can be seen above Rome
from Antibes. Sprites are large electrical discharges that occur high above
a cumulonimbus—a thunderstorm cloud—and produce a wide variety of
visual shapes. Positive lightning discharges between the thundercloud and
the ground are what cause them.[6] The phenomenon is also a bacronym
for Stratospheric/mesospheric Perturbations Resulting from Intense
Thunderstorm Electrification.[8] Typically, they are reddish-orange or
greenish-blue in color and have hanging tendrils below and arcing
branches above. A reddish halo known as a sprite halo can also precede
them. They often form groups and can be anywhere from 50 to 90
kilometers (31 to 56 miles) above the Earth's surface. Sprites have been
seen great many times.[9] Sprites have been considered liable for in any
case unexplained mishaps including high elevation vehicular tasks above
tempests.
Jets Despite the fact that they are thought to be a type of upper-
atmospheric lightning, it has been discovered that jets are actually parts of
tropospheric lightning and a type of cloud-to-air discharge that begins in a
thunderstorm and moves upwards. Other kinds of TLEs, on the other hand,
