In the midst of a biblical thunderstorm , you could be forgive for take for granted the goal was nigh when a large , red jellyfish appeared in the sky . The bizarre weather phenomenon is actually the result ofred fay , a character of electric emission that happen much in high spirits up than conventional - take care lightning . That sound out , if I ever saw this in substantial life , I ’m not certain the scientific account would do much to descend my fears that the evil overlordcnidarianshad lastly landed .
The picture above , lease by Stephen Hummel of theMcDonald Observatoryin Mount Locke , Texas , evince one such red sprite event . The radical - fast bursts of electric natural action scraunch their way up to 80 km ( 50 miles ) into the atmosphere , move around far enough to bepapped by the International Space Station . In these photograph , they can be see as red curlicue above the bright white light of a lightning storm .
They happen in answer to lightning strikes , which liberate positive electric energy into the sky . The charge moves similarly to lightning , but as it ’s much high in the air it comes into contact with nitrogen floating in the Earth ’s atmosphere . When the nitrogen meets the galvanizing charge , it emits a red glow , which are the wiggly tendrils we view like tentacle . They do n’t always form in jellyfish shaping as some come along simply as crimson columns in the sky that , while undoubtedly still very cool , have a bun in the oven less of aWar of the Worldsapocalypse vibe . They were first discover in 1989 and have since been seen over every continent except Antarctica . Dark sky free from excessive light defilement make it easier to see faint objective like fay , and so views like this are increasingly harder to capture due to the increasing spread oflight defilement .
The uncommon event endure just a few tenth of a second and is often obscured from survey by storm clouds . Luckily for Dark Skies Specialist Hummel of the McDonald Observatory , the electric performance quetch off in full sight just as he was observe a storm from a ridge on Mount Locke .
" The reasons for the jellyfish - similar form , as contradict to more common editorial sprites or " Daucus carota sativa " sprites , are not amply interpret , " Hummel told IFLScience . " However , all of the heads of the sprite are at almost the same altitude , and are bunch around the large fundamental headspring and tendrils . Some are slightly confining to our advantage point , and some are further away . So we are look up at it , and it is looming over us ! "
So , if you find yourself overhear in a tempest one day and spot a terror gelatin in the sky , it ’s probably not aliens . Unless …
[ H / T : Business Insider ]
