Here's What Thunderstorms Look Like From Space
Dhir Acharya - Jan 27, 2021
If they didn’t cause any serious damages to people’s lives, thunderstorms could actually be one of the most enjoyable atmospheric events to watch.
- Scientists Want To Send 6.7 Million Samples, Including Sperm, To The Moon
- This 99-Million-Year-Old Fossil Unlocks A Entirely New World To Study
- How Do We Know The Universe Is 13.8 Billion Years Old?
Thunderstorms are generally pretty cool. If it didn’t cause any serious damages to people’s lives, a thunderstorm could actually be one of the most enjoyable atmospheric events to watch.
However, researchers have struggled to understand the inner workings of large thunderstorms for quite a while, especially regarding what happens up in the region where a storm ends and the atmosphere rests.
![A thunderstorm observed from space](https://img.mobygeek.com/resize/730x-/2021/01/27/storm-2-compressed-e00e.jpg)
![A thunderstorm observed from space](https://img.mobygeek.com/resize/730x-/2021/01/27/09-30-italy-storm-space-compressed-e83d.jpg)
![A thunderstorm observed from space](https://img.mobygeek.com/resize/730x-/2021/01/27/maxresdefault-compressed-d844.jpg)
But new research from the ISS is helping scientists understand some of the more curious storm phenomena such as the elves ad the blue jets. While these names sound like they are from a sci-fi movie, they are actually real and interesting terms.
![Blue jet](https://img.mobygeek.com/resize/730x-/2021/01/27/maxresdefault-1-ff7f.jpg)
Scientists from the European Space Agency are using observations from the Atmospheric-Space Interactions Monitors (ASIM) that are mounted to the space station with the aim of studying storm features that can only be seen from space.
What are elves, blue jets, and sprites, exactly? These terms are quite complicated, but they are all related to one another and to the discharge of stored energy.
According to the researchers:
“Blue jets are lightning-like, atmospheric electric discharges of several hundred millisecond duration that fan into cones as they propagate from the top of thunderclouds into the stratosphere. They are thought to initiate in an electric breakdown between the positively charged upper region of a cloud and a layer of negative charge at the cloud boundary and in the air above. The breakdown forms a leader that transitions into streamers when propagating upwards.”
With the human eyes, we can see a bright blue bolt that fires upwards into the atmosphere like a reversed lightning bolt. On the other hand, it’s harder to detect elves with the naked eye while they can only be partially seen with ultraviolet-sensing equipment. These are also described as “expanding rings” of both UV and optical emissions. In some cases, elves accompany blue jets.
Meanwhile, sprites are like bolts of energy that flow downward toward the storm from above, appearing red to the naked eye. This atmospheric area is called the mesosphere, which is below the ionosphere where the elves happen.
When more observations and data are compiled, things get even more interesting and scientists will learn more about these features of our Earthly weather.
>>> Snow Falls In Sahara Desert, Temperature Reaching -2 Degrees Celsius
Featured Stories
![5 Apps Every Creative Artist Should Know About](https://img.mobygeek.com/crop/320x180/photo_galleries/2024/01/23/procreate-pocket-3304.png)
Features - Jan 23, 2024
5 Apps Every Creative Artist Should Know About
![Bet365 India Review - Choosing the Right Platform for Online Betting](https://img.mobygeek.com/crop/227x128/photo_galleries/2024/01/22/bet365-india-review-3bf1.png)
Features - Jan 22, 2024
Bet365 India Review - Choosing the Right Platform for Online Betting
![Online Casinos as a Business Opportunity in India](https://img.mobygeek.com/crop/227x128/2023/08/15/email-4caf.png)
Features - Aug 15, 2023
Online Casinos as a Business Opportunity in India
![The Impact of Social Media on Online Sports Betting](https://img.mobygeek.com/crop/227x128/2023/08/03/social-network-4094.jpg)
Features - Aug 03, 2023
The Impact of Social Media on Online Sports Betting
![5 Most Richest Esports Players of All Time](https://img.mobygeek.com/crop/227x128/2023/07/10/esports-players-5c2a.jpg)
Features - Jul 10, 2023
5 Most Richest Esports Players of All Time
![Is it safe to use a debit card for online gambling?](https://img.mobygeek.com/crop/227x128/2021/10/27/online-gambling-ede7.jpg)
Features - Jun 07, 2023
Is it safe to use a debit card for online gambling?
![Everything You Need to Know About the Wisconsin Car Bill of Sale](https://img.mobygeek.com/crop/227x128/2023/05/20/untitled-d49d.png)
Features - May 20, 2023
Everything You Need to Know About the Wisconsin Car Bill of Sale
![How to Take Advantage of Guarantee Cashback in Online Bets](https://img.mobygeek.com/crop/227x128/2022/04/25/betting-image-9bc9.jpg)
Features - Apr 27, 2023
How to Take Advantage of Guarantee Cashback in Online Bets
![White Label Solutions for Forex](https://img.mobygeek.com/crop/227x128/2021/03/17/1610531384-bitcoin-crypto-wallet-lost-password-300d.jpg)
Features - Mar 08, 2023
White Label Solutions for Forex
![WHY BETTING SIGNUP OFFERS ARE IMPORTANT FOR NEW GAMBLERS](https://img.mobygeek.com/crop/227x128/2022/07/15/matched-betting-free-bets01-4bc3.jpg)
Review - Jul 15, 2022
Comments
Sort by Newest | Popular