A rare image that captures a mysterious luminescence phenomenon called "sprite" that occurs in a high place in the sky from a short distance is shot, and it is attracting attention as a valuable image when considering the mechanism of generation.
Sprite, which means "fairy" in English, is a momentary luminescence phenomenon that occurs in the upper atmosphere at altitudes of 50 to 90 kilometers.
Like lightning, it is thought to be caused by an electric discharge, but the detailed mechanism of its occurrence is unknown, and it often occurs above lightning clouds, making it difficult to observe from below.
Curator Fujii Daichi of the Hiratsuka City Museum in Kanagawa Prefecture tried to shoot sprites in Shizuoka Prefecture on the 7th of last month, and succeeded in shooting from below twice between the clouds.
The distance to the sprite is estimated to be about 100 kilometers, which means that images taken from such a close distance are rare.
The photographed sprites appeared twice in about 10 minutes, each in about 0.1 seconds. ▽ The first time was four thin columns, and the second time was the shape of four inverted triangles.
In the video, you can see even the smallest details of the sprite, which is valuable when considering the mechanism of occurrence.
Curator Fujii said, "I was able to shoot at a close distance by chance from the thunderclouds. I want you to know that there are still mysterious phenomena in your immediate surroundings."