Photographer captures two rare atmospheric phenomena – at the same time

At the same time, Italian captures an ELVE and a red sprite. It looks like a science fiction scene, but it’s not.

PRINCIPLE is an acronym for Emissions of Light and Very Low Frequency Perturbations due to Electromagnetic Pulse Sources.

It is a type of Transient Luminous Event (TLE); a very brief flash that appears at the base of the ionosphere, above large thunderstorms. A very rapidly expanding ring/disk at the base of the ionosphere (~80–100 km).

One sprite It is also a very brief luminous phenomenon (lasting milliseconds) that also appears far above thunderstorms, in the upper atmosphere.

But it is a reddish “jellyfish/carrot” structure, between ~40–90 km, usually after a very energetic lightning strike; They are rarely seen from the ground.

He had taken a photographer these two moments so quick and rare (and little understood by scientists), in a single photograph?

It really happened. Valter Binotto captured the spectacular moment in his home country of Italy.

The image, reproduced at the beginning of this article, looks like a scene from science fiction. But it isn’t.

The photograph shows a fuzzy red “flying saucer” surrounding luminous tentacles that extend downward; to such unique combination of an ELVE and a red sprite.

The electromagnetic pulse generated by the discharge propagated through hundreds of kilometers and reached the ionosphere, creating the two luminous events almost instantaneously. It happened near Venice.

“Since I started, more than ten years ago, I have photographed hundreds of sprites. As for the ELVEs, only three, including this one, which is a double event”, commented the photographer, in an interview with .

“This is a rare duo formation of Sprite and ELVE. Sprite is the red tentacle-shaped object in the center. The red ‘flying saucer’ around them is ELVE”, added Valter Binotto.

It should be noted that the Italian photographer uses a camera adapted for astrophotography, more sensitive to infrared light, which increases the chances of recording these flashes that are almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

The image is red thanks to nitrogen molecules in the upper atmosphere.