Three photography enthusiasts operating in New Zealand have managed to photograph images of “red sprites”, one of the rarest celestial events globally, where bright red bursts manifest in the atmosphere.
The imaging specialists had originally set out to capture the night sky over the Ōmārama Clay cliffs in the South Island of the country on 11 October, when they chanced upon the unusual spectacle.
They thought they would be lucky to get clear skies that evening, but their expedition transformed into “a truly memorable experience,” an individual involved commented.
While reviewing his files for a Milky Way panorama and realized he had captured red sprites,” the photographer noted. “It was unbelievable – it resulted in joyful noises and all sorts going on in the dark.”
Red sprites are bursts of electrical energy in the mesosphere, caused by electrical storms. Differing from traditional lightning that aims at the surface, these events propel upward towards the upper atmosphere, producing appearances that resemble vertical forms, carrots or even jellyfish. The earliest recorded picture of a this phenomenon was recorded – by chance – in the late eighties, by a team at the a academic organization.
They are so brief – enduring only a thousandth of a second – that they are seldom seen to the human sight, but an individual was fortunate. “I was coincidentally viewing right at one when it took place – just a perfect coincidence viewing the correct area of the firmament and I observed a short crimson illumination,” he said.
Witnessing the phenomena was a dream for the photographer, an acclaimed nocturnal imaging specialist. “It seems that you are observing an unreal vision, it’s very ethereal … the color is a profound crimson that is there for a split second, so it is fascinating to see.”
Photographing a red sprite demands a mastery of technical photography, as well as an familiarity with scientific principles and artistic vision, the photographer said. “This is a highly complex form of imaging that’s extremely satisfying as well.”
One of the other individuals remarked it was among the “most amazing after-dark experiences” of his life. “I witnessed the galactic band glowing above the distant edge while these massive crimson strands of light moved above a thunderstorm hundreds of kilometres away,” he said.
To his knowledge, there are no additional photographs capturing scarlet electrical bursts and the night sky of the south in a single image.
“It was one of those moments when you know you’re witnessing an event you are unlikely to ever witness again.”
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