WHAT IS RED LIGHTNING?
These red flashes can sometimes be seen shooting upwards into the top of the atmosphere. Here’s why they happen
WORDS ANDREW MAY
A photograph taken from the ISS showing a red sprite clearly visible on the right
Did you know?
Sprites may account for some UFO reports
Red lightning, also known as a ‘sprite’, is an intriguing weather phenomenon associated with very intense thunderstorms. While an ordinary lightning flash extends down from the clouds to the ground, a sprite shoots way up into the upper reaches of the atmosphere. But it only lasts for a millisecond or so, making it difficult to observe and study.
Given their elusive nature, ‘sprite’ is an appropriate name, although it actually stands for Stratospheric Perturbations Resulting from Intense Thunderstorm Electrification. Like regular lightning, it’s caused by a buildup of electrical charge in clouds, but in this case the excess charge is released into the ionosphere – around 50 miles up – rather than to the ground. Sprites are usually red in colour and can range in shape between a jellyfish and a carrot. Compared to an ordinary flash of lightning they can be huge in size, often as much as 30 miles across.