Latest news with #DongShuchang
1News
3 days ago
- Science
- 1News
Red lightning captured on video leaping in Chinese night sky
A rare burst of red lightning was captured streaking across the night sky in Shannan City, southwest China's Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region, over the weekend. The phenomenon, also known as a "red sprite", was much harder to spot than a regular flash of lightning as it took place high above the clouds. Red lightning also typically extended upwards towards the atmosphere rather than down towards the ground. The images in Shannan were taken by 27-year-old astro photographer Dong Shuchang. He told China's CCTV he checked the weather forecast before heading out to capture the stunning videos. ADVERTISEMENT "Without hesitation, I decided to head for [the mountains in] Shannan. I found myself a viewing spot in a sunken area on the mountain ridge with an elevation of more than 5000 metres and pointed my camera directly south. Since I checked the weather beforehand, I was sure that my shooting would not be affected by too much cloud," Dong said. "After setting the recording mode of my camera at a high speed of 120 frames per second, I was not only able to capture clear images of the 'red sprite' in peak explosion, but also recorded the details. This is the second time that I have captured the complete course of a 'ghost sprite' event, which is an even rarer type of red lightning." Dong was crowned the overall winner as the 2021 Astronomy Photographer of the Year by the Royal Observatory in Greenwich for his photograph The Golden Ring, which showed an annular solar eclipse.
The Star
3 days ago
- Climate
- The Star
Is it ghost fire or alien jellyfish? Rare red sprite lightning in Tibet dazzles social media
Chinese photographer Dong Shuchang, who captured the red sprites, produced a slow motion close-up video of the rare sight on May 31.- SCREENSHOT FROM PAULOWNIA DONG SHUCHANG/WEIBO SINGAPORE: Blink and you will miss it. A rare red lightning phenomenon illuminated the dark sky above Tibet over the weekend, setting social media on fire. Known as a red sprite, it is an electrical discharge that occurs above thunderclouds, between 40km and 80km above the ground. Lightning flashes usually go downwards from the clouds to the ground, according to the BBC. But like a shot from a flare gun, a sprite goes in the other direction, appearing like backwards lightning. According to National Geographic, atmospheric nitrogen gas gives the bursts their distinctive red glow. Chinese photographer Dong Shuchang, who captured the rare sight on May 31, wrote on Chinese social media platform Weibo that the first time he caught a similar occurrence was in May 2022. 'I decided to produce a slow motion close-up video and hope that more people will be able to witness this magical phenomenon in our magical skies.' His video of the breathtaking lightning went viral on Chinese social media, with netizens comparing the surreal scene to a ghost fire and alien jellyfish. 'Am I the only one who finds this terrifying?' said one comment, while another described it as 'mother nature's fireworks'. - The Straits Times/ANN
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Science
- Straits Times
Rare red sprite lightnings in Tibet dazzle social media
Chinese photographer Dong Shuchang, who captured the sprites, produced a slow motion close-up video of the rare sight on May 31. PHOTO: SCREENSHOT FROM PAULOWNIA DONG SHUCHANG/WEIBO Is it a ghost fire or alien jellyfish? Rare red sprite lightnings in Tibet dazzle social media Blink and you will miss it. A rare red lightning phenomenon ignited the dark sky above Tibet over the weekend, setting social media on fire. Known as 'red sprite', it is an electrical discharge that takes place above thunderclouds that are between 40km and 80km above ground . Lightning flashes usually go downwards from the clouds to the ground, according to the BBC . However, like a shot from a flare gun , a sprite goes in the other direction, which appears to be like backwards lightning. According to the National Geographic , atmospheric nitrogen gas gives the bursts their distinctive red glow. Chinese photographer Dong Shuchang, who captured the rare sight on May 31, wrote on Chinese social media Weibo that the first time he caught a similar occurrence was in May 2022. 'I decided to produce a slow motion close-up video and hope that more people will be able to witness this magical phenomenon in our magical skies.' His video of the breathtaking lightnings went viral on Chinese social media, with netizens comparing the surreal scene to a ghost fire and alien jellyfish. 'Am I the only one who finds this terrifying?' says one comment, while another calls it 'Mother Nature's fireworks'. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
