Incredible photo of a very rare atmospheric phenomenon

Wow! What are the chances to photography at the same time such a beautiful green aurora and the very elusive red sprite phenomenon?

Holy crap the rarest scene I've ever captured and likely ever will. I was standing there just watching when bam, big red sprites "squirting" up into the air in the aurora. I quickly thought, why did they happen over there that far. I then went ecstatic jumping up and down and yelling to my friend to come over there right away, as he was still about a block down the road. He was pretty pumped too, as he had seen it too and wondered if he was seeing things, then happy I saw it too. I called some friends and another friend had seen it from Lincoln while watching the auroras.

That's how far off storms are for sprite viewing. If you look at the city light area to the right of the sprite and left of the storms, you can barely make out some anvils off more storms up there. Those are 200 miles away and the sprites happen above an area even further away. Sprites originate I guess about 50 MILES up. A jet plane at 30,000 feet is 6 miles up. So about 10 times higher. And they can be 45 miles tall.

A lot of sprites have been captured on night sensitive high speed video cameras now. But a photo with auroras...excessively rare. From APOD astronomy picture of the day.... apod.nasa.gov... "The image, taken a few days ago above central South Dakota, USA, captured a bright red sprite, and is a candidate for the first color image ever recorded of a sprite and aurora together." They posted that May 22, 2013...11 days before mine. Sprites were first imaged in 1989 accidently and first color photograph in 1994. Recent. But with auroras, evidently it is possible the very first time was a couple freaking weeks before this one of mine. It's that crazy rare.

Whole article and full credits: Mike Hollingshead

reply to post by elevenaugust

Thank you for sharing. That is quite something. I have never even seen a red sprite in real life, let alone together with an aurora!

I'm curious about why these sprites were only first captured on film just 24 years ago (and the first in colour less than 20 years ago). It seems unlikely that they are a recent phenomenon -- or is that actually the case?

Originally posted by JustMike
reply to post by elevenaugust

 

Thank you for sharing. That is quite something. I have never even seen a red sprite in real life, let alone together with an aurora!

I'm curious about why these sprites were only first captured on film just 24 years ago (and the first in colour less than 20 years ago). It seems unlikely that they are a recent phenomenon -- or is that actually the case?

You're welcome!

Well, maybe it's because they appear in the upper atmosphere above thunderstorms, and they last for just a few milliseconds.

Below the previous photo Mike Hollingshead refer to in its paper:



Source: APOD

That makes two photos of red sprites in less than one month!

Awesome photo's. Like the top one best.

reply to post by JustMike

Awesome photos, OP. Interesting bit of video captured last year in Japan.

Very interesting changes or we're just understanding what has always been there.

Just goes to show that things on this planet still never cease to amaze us.

Interesting shot.The composition even surprised him!
I wonder if eventually we'll discover that the same conditions that produce Aurora, might be conducive to produce sprites if there are storms in the area?
I'd love to get photos like that.
The whole page he posted about this night of photography is a good read. He gets pretty excited, and the photos are excellent.

Originally posted by elevenaugust

Wow! What are the chances to photography at the same time such a beautiful green aurora and the very elusive red sprite phenomenon?

Holy crap the rarest scene I've ever captured and likely ever will. I was standing there just watching when bam, big red sprites "squirting" up into the air in the aurora. I quickly thought, why did they happen over there that far. I then went ecstatic jumping up and down and yelling to my friend to come over there right away, as he was still about a block down the road. He was pretty pumped too, as he had seen it too and wondered if he was seeing things, then happy I saw it too. I called some friends and another friend had seen it from Lincoln while watching the auroras.

That's how far off storms are for sprite viewing. If you look at the city light area to the right of the sprite and left of the storms, you can barely make out some anvils off more storms up there. Those are 200 miles away and the sprites happen above an area even further away. Sprites originate I guess about 50 MILES up. A jet plane at 30,000 feet is 6 miles up. So about 10 times higher. And they can be 45 miles tall.

A lot of sprites have been captured on night sensitive high speed video cameras now. But a photo with auroras...excessively rare. From APOD astronomy picture of the day.... apod.nasa.gov... "The image, taken a few days ago above central South Dakota, USA, captured a bright red sprite, and is a candidate for the first color image ever recorded of a sprite and aurora together." They posted that May 22, 2013...11 days before mine. Sprites were first imaged in 1989 accidently and first color photograph in 1994. Recent. But with auroras, evidently it is possible the very first time was a couple freaking weeks before this one of mine. It's that crazy rare.

Whole article and full credits: Mike Hollingshead

edit on 9-6-2013 by elevenaugust because: (no reason given)

speechless

reply to post by elevenaugust


Absolutely beautiful!
Ty for sharing

Very nice, tnx for sharing ..

files.abovetopsecret.com...

Its rare that I say wow out load on my own, but this picture made me do it twice

Absolutely brilliant picture! I never knew about 'red sprites' up until I read this thread, so thanks for sharing - My diner brake will now consists of reading up about this phenomenon

Originally posted by JustMike
reply to post by elevenaugust

 

Thank you for sharing. That is quite something. I have never even seen a red sprite in real life, let alone together with an aurora!

I'm curious about why these sprites were only first captured on film just 24 years ago (and the first in colour less than 20 years ago). It seems unlikely that they are a recent phenomenon -- or is that actually the case?

Photography started at that time because they were noted from astronauts on board on the shuttle from orbit.

Astonishing images. Anecdotal evidence of sprites goes back to the late 19th century, as documented in the Wikipedia article and in this interesting paper: www.gr.ssr.upm.es...

reply to post by elevenaugust


Thats pretty