1
00:00:00,033 --> 00:00:02,900
Sprites. No, we're
 not talking about fairies or soda today.

2
00:00:03,266 --> 00:00:06,300
Sprites are huge bursts of red light
 that form high in Earth's atmosphere,

3
00:00:06,300 --> 00:00:07,666
above thunderstorms. 

4
00:00:07,666 --> 00:00:11,233
They're large scale electrical discharges
 of air that form after a powerful

5
00:00:11,233 --> 00:00:12,300
lightning blast. 

6
00:00:12,300 --> 00:00:13,900
They come in various shapes and sizes, 

7
00:00:13,900 --> 00:00:17,033
sometimes looking like a huge
 red jellyfish glowing in the night sky.

8
00:00:17,666 --> 00:00:20,033
Unlike hot lightning,
 sprites are relatively cool

9
00:00:20,233 --> 00:00:22,600
and best viewed from hundreds of miles
 away from a thunderstorm.

10
00:00:22,933 --> 00:00:25,033
They're fairly elusive,
 and it can be hard to predict where

11
00:00:25,033 --> 00:00:26,266
and when a sprite will appear. 

12
00:00:26,266 --> 00:00:28,966
The first sprite was only captured
 on film in 1989.

13
00:00:29,166 --> 00:00:31,500
However, eyewitness reports date back
 almost a century.

14
00:00:31,500 --> 00:00:34,000
So we're still learning more
 about what causes them

15
00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:36,266
and how they influence
 Earth's upper atmosphere. 

16
00:00:36,266 --> 00:00:38,966
In fact, anyone who captures
 pictures of sprites from the ground

17
00:00:39,233 --> 00:00:40,800
can submit their images to help scientists 

18
00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:42,866
study sprites and other similar phenomena.

19
00:00:43,100 --> 00:00:45,766
And by the way, it's not just Earth.
 The Juno mission

20
00:00:45,766 --> 00:00:48,533
predicts that sprites could exist
 in Jupiter's atmosphere as well.

21
00:00:48,866 --> 00:00:52,000
Jupiter's hydrogen rich atmosphere
 would likely make sprites appear blue.