1
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I really love chasing sprites.

2
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It’s a way out of my daily routine. 

3
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When a big sprite appears, we usually celebrating by screaming.

4
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Fortunately, we are away from other people.

5
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Ahh!

6
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Opa!

7
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It’s kind of like fishing. The thrill of fishing and catching.

8
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The thrill of capturing a sprite, it never gets old.

9
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Each one is unique and separate. 

10
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No two are identical.

11
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There’s discoveries to be made here.

12
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I do it partly for the thrill of it.

13
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But then there’s also the science,

14
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which is important as well.

15
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Everybody has a piece of the puzzle and we are all putting it together.

16
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It wasn’t until 2010 that I was able to capture my first TLE,

17
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which happened to be a gigantic jet.

18
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I have since captured many other types of TLEs

19
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like sprites, elves, halos, and more gigantic jets.

20
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I enjoy doing this because it not only fascinates the casual viewer

21
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but it also helps the scientific community better understand these events. 

22
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I work here at McDonald Obsevatory, part of the University of Texas at Austin. 

23
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My job is to work with the surrounding communities to help preserve the night sky. 

24
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And that has the added benefit of also helping to preserve our view of sprites and TLEs.

25
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TLEs are some of my favorite things to photograph in the night sky.

26
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They are endlessly fascinating to me. 

27
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They never are the same twice and I always feel like

28
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I’m on the verge of discovering something new ever time I go out and photograph them.

29
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I love chasing red sprites because I just find it so fantastic

30
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and amazing how we can see raw nature, kind of painted across the night sky like this.

31
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And each one is so beautiful and so different

32
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that I find myself getting addicted to going out and finding what I can captured next.

33
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