Sprites are sometimes inaccurately called upper-atmospheric lightning. However, they are cold plasma phenomena that lack the hot channel temperatures of tropospheric lightning, so they …

Jul 8, 2025 · Sprites, named for mythical fairy-like creatures, appear when lightning interacts with nitrogen in Earth's atmosphere to create an electrical breakdown that produces flashes of red …

Nov 14, 2025 · Discover red sprites, blue jets, elves, trolls, and gnomes—rare lightning phenomena that flash above thunderstorms. Learn what causes them and how to see a sprite.

Nov 24, 2025 · Sprites are formed when a powerful lightning bolt creates a strong electric field in the upper atmosphere. This electric field can cause the air to ionize, creating a glowing plasma …

Dec 19, 2025 · An astonishing photo shows an elve and a red sprite appearing together above Italy, capturing two of Earth's rarest lightning events at once.

Jul 22, 2023 · Lightning sprites are electrical discharges high in Earth’s atmosphere. They’re associated with thunderstorms, but they’re not born in the same clouds that send us rain.

Research has shown that following a powerful positive cloud-to-ground lightning strike, red sprites may start as 100-meter balls of ionized air that shoot down from about 80-km high at 10 …

Jul 4, 2025 · NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers captured an electrifying image of a giant lightning "sprite" shooting up over Mexico and southern U.S. states. The red "jellyfish" could help …

Mar 21, 2025 · When the lightning strikes the ground, the energy released disrupts the upper atmosphere, creating the bizarre flashes we see as sprites.

Apr 28, 2025 · Over 100 red sprites were captured above the Himalayas in 2022. A study linked them to strong lightning strikes in a large thunderstorm system and introduced a new timing …