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There Is Some Mighty Weird Stuff Going On Up There
Defector • • world
Key Points:
- Transient Luminous Events (TLEs) are brief, luminous electrical discharges in the upper atmosphere, lasting only milliseconds and often appearing as spectacular light shows above thunderstorms.
- Red sprites, the most commonly observed TLEs, occur in the upper mesosphere around 80-90 km above Earth and appear as large, blood-red electrical discharges caused by excited nitrogen atoms.
- Due to their altitude and size, sprites are typically observed from great distances or from space, with notable recent photographs taken from locations such as Corsica and the International Space Station.
- First described in 1886 and only conclusively documented on video in 1989, TLEs were once met with skepticism by scientists and pilots, but are now recognized as real atmospheric phenomena, with similar events also observed on Jupiter.
- TLEs encompass a variety of forms including sprites, blue jets, ELVES, and others, many of which remain only partially understood, highlighting the ongoing mysteries and wonders of Earth's dynamic atmosphere.
