Mysterious Sprite Photographed By ISS Astronaut 86
astroengine writes "A very rare and beautiful view of a red sprite has been photographed by Expedition 31 astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) hovering just above a bright flash of lightning in a thunderstorm over Myanmar. First documented in a photo in 1989, red sprites are very brief flashes of optical activity that are associated with powerful lightning discharges in storms — although the exact mechanisms that create them aren't yet known. But the orbiting outpost seems like the perfect vantage point to learn more about them!"
Re:Where (when) is it? (Score:5, Informative)
I watched the video [nasa.gov], but could not find the still from TFA in it. At what point does the sprite happen?
Never mind! I found it. It's about 4 seconds into the video in the upper right. It flashed by very quickly so it is easy to miss.
Re:Myanmar? (Score:0, Informative)
I'm pretty sure it's where Myan's come from and I think their capital is Myer... I haven't got a citation but I think my information is fairly accurate.
Re:When man bites dog, it's news (Score:5, Informative)
Runaway electrons colliding into oxygen (Score:5, Informative)
Wow, that looks extremely similar to the red light created by the Starfish Prime [damninteresting.com] thermonuclear bomb detonation in space! In that case, it was fast electrons from the nuclear explosion, spiralling along magnetic field lines and eventually colliding with oxygen atoms in the atmosphere, which emit a red glow when excited.
I'm going to guess that this is a picture of oxygen being excited by runaway electrons produced by lightning [google.com]. Cool!
Re:I am disappoint (Score:5, Informative)
Well.. it's a very poorly worded headline. The Analysis is quite clearheaded. Researchers have seen sprites in other atmospheres indicating that lightning is occurring. Since our current theories of the creation of life believe lightning played a part in the formation of organic matter then it's another indication that some of the correct conditions for the creation of life exist on other planets. No conclusive evidence of anything... just more evidence backing up what we currently believe to be true.