What is a sprite in the sky?

Sprites or red sprites are large-scale electrical discharges that occur high above thunderstorm clouds, or cumulonimbus, giving rise to a quite varied range of visual shapes flickering in the night sky. They are usually triggered by the discharges of positive lightning between an underlying thundercloud and the ground.

What causes sprites in the sky?

Sprites are rapid flashes of red light that occur high up in the mesosphere, over 50 kilometres above the ground. Similar to how lightning is an electrical discharge between a cloud and the ground, sprites are electrical discharges between the top of a thunderstorm and the upper atmosphere.

Can you see sprites?

If you see a thunderstorm in the distance late at night, look at the sky above the clouds and watch closely. You might just glimpse a sprite. Sprites are a type of transient luminous event, like lightning, but fainter, faster and significantly larger, Jessica Leigh Hester explains for Atlas Obscura.

Where can you see sprites?

Sprites—The most common TLE is a luminous reddish-orange flash directly above large thunderstorms. Sprites flash a fraction of a second after strong lightning strokes, soaring up almost 60 miles high. They often occur in clusters above the troposphere and most frequently seen in the Midwest.

What is a sprite mesosphere?

Bottom line: Lightning sprites, or red sprites, often occurring in tandem with lightning, are short-lived electrical discharges that flash high above thunderstorms in the mesosphere layer of the atmosphere.

Red Sprites and Blue Jets Explained - New Discovery!

Do sprites exist?

If you're looking for sprites or elves dancing in the forest after dark, you might be disappointed—but in a way, they do exist. What are known as “sprites” and “elves” are actually Transient Luminous Events (TLEs) that emerge from the upper atmosphere when thunderstorms are brewing and lightning strikes.

How long do lightning sprites last?

Sprites are predominantly red and they usually last no more than a few milliseconds. The brightest region lies in the altitude range 40 to 45 miles (about 65-75 km), above which there is often a faint red glow or wispy structure that extends to about 55 miles (90 km).

What are sprites?

A sprite is a type of "stand-alone" computer graphic element that has evolved along with modern computer graphics technologies. A sprite is defined as a two-dimensional image or animated image that plays a specific role, often independently manipulated, within a larger image environment.

What are sprites in mythology?

A sprite is a supernatural entity in European mythology. They are often depicted as fairy-like creatures or as an ethereal entity.

How fast do sprites move through the atmosphere?

The jets propagate upward at speeds of ∼100 km s⁻¹, reaching terminal altitudes around 40 km. Their estimated brightness is on the order of 1000 kR.

What is the rarest color of lightning?

Green lightning is a rare phenomenon that can be seen during a thunderstorm. Someone who has seen green lightning is extremely lucky as green lightning strikes are rarely seen. It is so rare that the only photograph of a green lightning strike is one from when the Chaiten volcano in Chile erupted.

What does red lightning in the sky mean?

Red lightning doesn't exist in the literal sense, according to the National Weather Service. The closest known phenomena is something called a red sprite, which occurs high in the atmosphere “directly above an active thunderstorm,” NOAA says.

What are elves and sprites?

Both sprites (which stands for — get ready for it —Stratospheric/mesospheric Perturbations Resulting from Intense Thunderstorm Electrification) and elves (Emission of Light and Very Low Frequency perturbations due to Electromagnetic Pulse Sources) are a type of transient luminous event, or TLE.

Are lightning sprites visible?

The elusive sprites, caused by only the most powerful lightning strikes, can sometimes be seen with the naked eye at night, but only last a few milliseconds.

Are sprites evil?

According to the definition on Wikipedia, a sprite can be good or evil and a dwarf, ghoul, fairy, ghost or other: The term sprite is a broad term referring to a number of preternatural legendary creatures.

What powers do sprites have?

Sprite focused his Eternal powers towards illusion, matter rearrangement and elemental transmutation, surpassed among the Eternals only by Sersi. With the Uni-Mind and Dreaming Celestial's power, Sprite altered reality on a cosmic scale.

Do sprites have wings?

A sprite (derived from the Latin word "spiritus") is a type of magical being, often described as a tiny humanoid with insect-like wings. Often used interchangeably with "fairy".

Why is a sprite called a sprite?

Sprite comes from the Old French esprit, or "spirit," and the Latin root spiritus. An older alternate spelling, now obsolete, was spright, which led to the adjective sprightly, "animated or lively."

How do sprites work?

A sprite is a two-dimensional (2D) bitmap graphic object that can be a static image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene. Sprites are used in games to collectively create a scene. Each sprite is used to represent each object. A "Sprite Sheet" is simply a collection of still images that progress.

What is a sprite image?

An image sprite is a collection of images put into a single image. A web page with many images can take a long time to load and generates multiple server requests. Using image sprites will reduce the number of server requests and save bandwidth.

What is the rarest type of lightning?

ball lightning, also called globe lightning, a rare aerial phenomenon in the form of a luminous sphere that is generally several centimetres in diameter. It usually occurs near the ground during thunderstorms, in close association with cloud-to-ground lightning.

Is Pink lightning real?

In snowstorms, where it is somewhat rare, pink and green are often described as colors of lightning. Haze, dust, moisture, raindrops and any other particles in the atmosphere will affect the color by absorbing or diffracting a portion of the white light of lightning.

Is orange lightning real?

Red lightning within a cloud indicates the presence of rain. Yellow or orange lightning occurs when there is a large concentration of dust in the air. White lightning is a sign of low humidity or a little amount of moisture in the air.

What is the difference between a nymph and a sprite?

"Sprite" is defined as an elf or fairy in the dictionary. Wikipedia also talks about "water sprites" as some sort of nymphs lving in the water. But when reading Greek mythology, I have never come across the word "sprite". "Nymph" is the word that is commonly used.