WEBVTT FILE

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Sprites. No, we're
not talking about fairies or soda today.

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Sprites are huge bursts of red light
that form high in Earth's atmosphere,

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above thunderstorms.

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They're large scale electrical discharges
of air that form after a powerful

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lightning blast.

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They come in various shapes and sizes,

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sometimes looking like a huge
red jellyfish glowing in the night sky.

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Unlike hot lightning,
sprites are relatively cool

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and best viewed from hundreds of miles
away from a thunderstorm.

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They're fairly elusive,
and it can be hard to predict where

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and when a sprite will appear.

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The first sprite was only captured
on film in 1989.

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However, eyewitness reports date back
almost a century.

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So we're still learning more
about what causes them

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and how they influence
Earth's upper atmosphere.

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In fact, anyone who captures
pictures of sprites from the ground

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can submit their images to help scientists

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study sprites and other similar phenomena.

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And by the way, it's not just Earth.
The Juno mission

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predicts that sprites could exist
in Jupiter's atmosphere as well.

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Jupiter's hydrogen rich atmosphere
would likely make sprites appear blue.