Chasing Sprites in Electric Skies

Paul Smith is a night-sky fanatic and photographer. His obsession is sprites: immense jolts of light that flicker high above thunderstorms. Last October, he guided NASA scientist Dr. Burcu Kosar through the backroads of Oklahoma to catch one herself. Although she’d studied sprites for more than 15 years, she hadn’t yet chased one.
Read more about chasing sprites with Paul and Burcu: blogs.nasa.gov/sunspot/2022/1...
Learn about NASA’s citizen science project Spritacular: www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/...
Learn about the Heliophysics Big Year: solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-sy...
Image credits: Paul Smith, Frankie Lucena, Panagiotis Tsouras, Thomas Ashcraft. All imagery of sprites is copyrighted and used with permission.
Music credits: “The Beauty Beyond” by Jeremy Noel William Abbott [PRS], Vasco [PRS]; “Outer Orbit” by Alexander Ryder Mcnair [ASCAP], Harry Gregson Williams [BMI], Ho Ling Tang [BMI]; “Wonderful Orbit” by Tom Furse Fairfax Cowan [PRS]; “Starlights” by Marc Teitler [PRS], Vasco [PRS]; “A Tranquil End” by Luke Gordon [PRS]; “Virtual Tidings” by Andrew Michael Britton [PRS], David Stephen Goldsmith [PRS]; “Winter Aurora” by Samuel Karl Bohn [PRS]; “Lava Flow” and “Water Dance” by Ben Niblett [PRS], Jon Cotton [PRS].
Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Producer: Joy Ng (KBRwyle)
Scientist: Burcu Kosar (Catholic University of America)
Photographer: Paul Smith
Photographer: Frankie Lucena
Photographer: Panagiotis Tsouras
Photographer: Thomas Ashcraft
Videographer: Joy Ng, Thomas Smith
Writer: Lina Tran
This video can be freely shared and downloaded at svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14206. While the video in its entirety can be shared without permission, the music and some individual imagery may have been obtained through permission and may not be excised or remixed in other products. Specific details on such imagery may be found here: svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14206. For more information on NASA’s media guidelines, visit nasa.gov/multimedia/guidelines.
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[@LEDewey_MD]

I'm sure humans thousands of years ago were able to witness these things, (especially with a lack of light pollution), and probably imagined magical or demon-themed explanations.

[@chino8646]

They must've freaked out witnessing those sprites

[@LukeValentino]

Nice! Sprites look amazing , almost haunting. Super interesting phenomena !

[@mvognev]

thanks for stunning photos

[@kylieawilliams1]

Wow I didn't know of such an amazing thing. Thanks for making this video.

[@thomasgoodwin2648]

If you've seen 1 sprite you've seen them all. And I've seen them all.. well nearly all, well, one, nearly one, a little one... I've heard about them.

[@lindaj5492]

Lucky to have wide areas of dark sky 😊

[@xristos2141981]

I love them to.⚡🌩

[@lisalarosa9454]

So cool

[@Rmm1722]

cool

[@KurtElliott]

I have never seen a sprite.

[@chubbycheeksworld]

[@SuperBroop]

Firmament. Pillars. Stationary. Operation Fish Bowl

[@mlikyway2823]

1:19 "troll"

[@ricardopacheco5892]

🤣🤣🤣

[@arifraza8326]

😂😂😂😂

[@priyabratamohanty5657]

🤓

[@insight.v7897]

-1 got attatched to female character, only for her not to see a sprite with her own eyes.