Sprites and jets are volatile atmospheric phenomena, difficult enough to observe, let alone photograph.
But a new image of an observatory in Hawaii captures a red sprite and a blue ray in the same shot. The photo, released on February 24, courtesy of a “cloud comb” at the Gemini North Telescope, part of the International Gemini Observatory at Maunakea.
Sprites and jets are phenomena in the upper atmosphere caused by electric discharges. Sprites, which are usually reddish-orange and sometimes blue-green, occur in the mesosphere, between 50 and 80 kilometers (50 to 80 kilometers) in altitude. They are often caused by frequent lightning at lower altitudes, but are much cooler in temperature. They also sometimes have the shape of jellyfish. Blue rays also occur at high altitudes, caused by a current of electricity from the positively charged upper part of a storm cloud to the negatively charged cloud sheet, according to an article published on January 20 in the magazine Nature. They usually appear as blue streamers shooting space.
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The camera that captured the red sprite and the blue ray was a custom DSLR (digital single lens reflex) for consumers, adapted to take pictures within a fraction of a second to 30 seconds after lightning. The cameras are mounted on the roof of the observatory, aimed at the most likely locations of incoming storms. The Gemini North Observatory is at 4,200 meters (13,800 feet) and offers beautiful views of the surrounding weather.
Although sprites and jets are rarely seen from the ground, they are not uncommon above thunderstorms. In 2017, an astronaut aboard the International Space Station saw 245 blue flashes in 160 seconds in one storm. Scientists discuss whether these phenomena are merely short-lived or whether they have lasting consequences. For example, if they change the chemistry of the upper atmosphere, it could affect the ozone layer, researcher Hans Stenbaek-Nielsen of the University of Alaska at Fairbanks told Live Science in 2011.
Studying sprites and jets is difficult, physicist Ryan Haaland of Fort Lewis College in Colorado told Live Science in 2015. Scientists take measurements from observatories on the ground and sometimes fly specially-instrumented research aircraft near storms to detect them. But since the phenomena last only ten milliseconds, it remains mysterious.
Originally published on Live Science.