Pillar of light bolting into Earth reveals new secret about thunderstorms
Gigantic jets are intense lightning discharges that shoot upward from the towering tops of thunderstorms, creating an electric bridge between cloud altitudes near 20 kilometers and the upper atmosphere at around 100 kilometers.They occur when turbulent conditions at storm summits allow lightning to escape the storm and reach into near-space, depositing significant electrical charge in the process.
Gigantic jets are intense lightning discharges that shoot upward from the towering tops of thunderstorms. (Photo: X/@Astro_Ayers)
Unlike sprites, which are the more commonly observed TLEs, gigantic jets burst directly from thundercloud tops, whereas sprites form much higher in the mesosphere, about 80 kilometers above Earth, and typically follow powerful lightning strikes.Sprites appear as colourful, fleeting flashes shaped like jellyfish, carrots, or columns and span tens of kilometers. They often accompany other TLE phenomena such as halos and elves, adding to the dazzling sky spectacle.Gigantic jets are much rarer and are typically spotted incidentally by airline passengers or captured on ground-based cameras aimed elsewhere.Ayers' vantage point on the ISS offered a unique opportunity to witness and document this elusive natural phenomenon from space, providing valuable insights for atmospheric scientists studying electric activity above storms.The Spritacular project, led by Dr. Kosar, encourages citizen scientists and photographers worldwide to capture and submit images of sprites, jets, and other TLEs to help researchers decode the mysteries of these fleeting electrical events.This stunning gigantic jet photo by astronaut Ayers opens a new window into the dynamic and electrifying interactions taking place high above our planet's storms, a hidden "zoo" of atmospheric light shows that few have the chance to witness firsthand.- Ends
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