© Kevin Rimcoski
Kevin Rimcoski took this photo from Mount Lemmon's Windy Point on Sunday night. Along with the stars and storms, Rimcoski's picture also captured red sprites. What are these and how do they form?
Red sprites are weak electrical discharges that can form directly above a decaying complex of storms. They occur roughly 50 miles above the Earth's surface. For perspective, most lightning strikes happen within a few miles above the Earth.
Red sprites are also triggered by positive lightning strikes. These are bolts that travel from the tops of the clouds down to the valley floors. Positive lightning strikes can be 10-100 times more powerful than their negative counterparts, due to the amount of required energy to travel through the atmosphere.
now notice the multiple light sources along the horizon. be safe. :-)