Red Sprites Over the Adriatic

Red Sprites Over the Adriatic

Summer is the season for sprites, a form of lightning that leaps up from the tops of thunderstorms. This picture, just in from Dubrovnik, a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea, shows that they can be seen in autumn, too:

"I was photographing a distant thunderstorm when this red sprite appeared," says Boris Basic of Dubrovnik. "It is a rare upper atmospheric phenomenon."
Inhabiting the upper reaches of Earth's atmosphere alongside noctilucent clouds, meteors, and some auroras, sprites are a true space weather phenomenon. Some researchers believe they are linked to cosmic rays: subatomic particles from deep space striking the top of Earth's atmosphere produce secondary electrons that, in turn, could provide the spark that triggers sprites.
Although sprites have been seen for at least a century, most scientists did not believe they existed until after 1989 when sprites were photographed by cameras onboard the space shuttle. Now "sprite chasers" regularly photograph the upward bolts from their own homes. Give it a try!

From SpaceWeather.com