LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Sprites: Thunderstorms
built 276 days ago
Sprites are electrical discharges between clouds of thunderstorms and the lower ionosphere. These high-altitude phenomena typically last a few tens of milliseconds (the blink of an eye lasts ~250 milliseconds) and exhibit a characteristic structure of delicate tendrils merging into a vertical column. The sprite is topped by a diffuse crown spreading into the lower ionosphere (approx. 90 km).
Source:
Since the first accidental observations over the central plains of the United States, sprites have been over over Japan, Australia, New Zealand and South America, from both space and ground. Most recently, sprites were observed for the first time over Europe [Allin and Neubert, 2000] during the EuroSprite2000 campaign. Optical observations were taken by a low-light-level video camera from the French astronomical observatory Observatoire Midi-Pyrenees (OMP) located in the Pyrenees. The primary objective was to establish if sprites are generated over Europe and to study the thunderstorm characteristics needed for sprite generation. During the one month campaign, sprites were observed two nights over the Alps and one night over South-Eastern France in connection with cold fronts moving in from the Atlantic. Local weather conditions allowed observations approximately half of the nights.
Source:
[I]n recent years, scientists have photographed the mysterious flashes and come up with interesting names for them: elves, blue jets, tigers and sprites. The flashes are associated with thunderstorms, and each type is incredibly brief and behaves differently.
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Thunderstorms