NASA launches website to report bright flashes in the sky called ‘sprites’ It might sound like NASA is investigating another UFO sighting with its latest call for citizen scientists’ help, but the mysterious bright flashes known as “sprites” are a weather-related phenomenon. Sprites are a form of Transient Luminous Event or TLE and are often associated with thunderstorms. These bright light flashes happen above the storm in Earth’s upper atmosphere about 50 miles up, producing quick flashes of reddish light in various shapes. According to NASA, it wasn’t until a 1989 accidental photograph of a sprite did scientists have tangible evidence for the flashes above thunderstorms. Precisely what causes TLEs is still a mystery. Sprites were named for the fairy-like creatures in European folklore. Sticking with the theme, other TLEs are called ELVES, Halos, Blue Jets and Gigantic Jets. To understand these quickly disappearing flashes, NASA announced a new citizen science project called Spritacular to crowdsource more information about electrical phenomena. Spritacular principal investigator and NASA space physicist Burcu Kosar and his coinvestigators have created an image database of sprites and other TLEs. Someone who thinks they captured one on camera can submit the images at Spritacular.org, including details on when and where…
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NASA launches website to report bright flashes in the sky called ‘sprites’