Sprites (Lightning)

lightning · sky science · atmosphere

Super high lightning. Sprites happen way up in the mesosphere, which is about 50 to 90 kilometers (31 to 56 miles) above Earth. That's much higher than regular thunderstorm clouds!

Glowing red shapes. These flashes create beautiful red and orange glows that flicker and dance across the night sky, looking almost like jellyfish or giant flowers made of light.

Triggered by lightning below. Sprites are born when a powerful positive lightning bolt shoots from a thundercloud down to the ground. This huge burst of energy sends electricity shooting upward into the thin air above.

Born from storms. You can only see sprites during major thunderstorms, when the lightning below is really strong and powerful enough to reach all the way up to the mesosphere.

Hard to spot. Sprites are rare and only visible at night, so scientists use special cameras on airplanes and satellites to capture them and study what they reveal about how lightning really works.