Have you ever seen sprites? They say that this is impossible. Strange and fleeting forms of Red Lightning materialize above thunderclouds, usually disappearing in less time than it takes to blink. However, storm hunter Michael Havan had no problem seeing them on May 23rd.
“The extremely bright jellyfish sprites were easily visible to the naked eye in the evening twilight! says Gavin. "This is one of the brightest shots I've captured with my modified Canon T3i."
Gavin saw this sight from Northwest Kansas. “The clear skies provided fantastic views of the MCS (Mesoscale Convective System) moving across Nebraska nearly 100 miles away,” he says. - I was not the only one who saw them. There have been reports that people have also seen sprites from Interstate 70."
The storm lasted so long that Gavin managed to attach an 85mm lens to his camera for a few close-up shots. “Since I had an image of the same area without a sprite from a few seconds earlier, I was able to subtract the sky (stars, air glow, etc.) to take a photo of the sprite structure without any distractions.
The solar minimum can stimulate sprites. During the low phase of the solar cycle - now occurring - cosmic rays from deep space penetrate the inner solar system relatively unhindered by the weakening of the sun's magnetic field.
Some models claim that cosmic rays help sprites get started by creating paths through the atmosphere.
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By the way
Today, May 25, 2020, the level of cosmic rays striking the Earth reached its maximum levels, increasing by 10.4% today from the average values.
Cosmic rays
The Sun's magnetic field is weak, allowing additional cosmic rays to penetrate the solar system. Neutron counts from the University of Oulu's Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory show that cosmic rays reaching Earth in 2020 are close to the peak of the space age.