Red sprites are as beautiful as they are elusive. These large-scale flashes occur up high in the sky, above thunderstorm clouds. As such, it is nearly impossible to see them with the naked eye from the ground. However, experienced astrophotographers have devoted themselves to study this phenomenon enough to be at the right place at the right time to capture them. One such photographer is Dong Shuchang, who recently captured a red sprite over Tibet.
As opposed to regular lightning, red sprites are shot up towards the atmosphere instead of downward toward Earth. Its signature color is the result of nitrogen reacting with electrical discharges up above. This particular red sprite made an appearance between May 31 and June 1.
Since these lights show up at altitudes between 25 and 50 miles, Shuchang took to a 16,404-foot elevation vantage point on the Tibetan plateau. The footage, shot at 120 frames per second, shows these red, jellyfish-shaped “fireworks” shining over the night sky in the Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region, near the Shannan City area in southwest China.
“I checked the weather forecast for May 31 and the early hours of June 1 in advance,” Shuchang said in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV). “After analyzing the satellite imagery, I was confident that the weather would not interfere with the shoot, so I made my way to the mountains of Shannan to find a clear vantage point.”
The beauty of the scene didn’t escape the general public. The video of the red sprite has gone viral on Weibo, one of the biggest social media platforms in China, where it has 1.7 million views. “Sprite lightning is formed in the middle layer of the atmosphere and is the result of electromagnetic waves generated by lightning strikes,” Shuchang explains in the video caption. “It exists in the air for a very short time, is elusive, and difficult to photograph.”
His footage has even aided scientists in learning more about this unique weather phenomenon. “By analyzing the parent lightning discharges, we discovered that the sprites were triggered by high-peak current positive cloud-to-ground lightning strikes within a massive mesoscale convective system,” says Professor Gaopeng Lu, who used Shuchang’s footage from previous red sprites shot in 2022 to study these flashes. “This suggests that thunderstorms in the Himalayan region have the potential to produce some of the most complex and intense upper-atmospheric electrical discharges on Earth.”
Despite being only 27 years old, the astrophotographer has developed a unique ability for spotting and documenting red sprites, as well as other astronomical events. He was even named Astronomy Photographer of the Year in 2021 for his picture of an annular solar eclipse. Shuchang has also documented comets and the Milky Way over a myriad of landscapes. “I’m always looking out for the next phenomenon,” he says.
To stay up to date with his work, follow Dong Shuchang on Instagram.
Astrophotographer Dong Shuchang has studied elusive red sprites enough to always be at the right place at the right time to capture them.
A few days ago, he documented a red sprite over Tibet.
Watch his thrilling footage below.
Dong Shuchang: Instagram
Sources: Rare Red Sprite ‘Stranger Things’-Like Lightning Over Tibetan Sky — Captured in 120FPS | APT; Rare Red Sprite Photographed in Tibet Dazzles Social Media; Dong Shuchang on Instagram
Related Articles:
Photographer Captures Rare Photo of Massive Red Sprite Amid Perseid Meteor Shower
Rare Photo of Red Sprites Wins 2024 Weather Photographer of the Year
Photographer Follows Storms Across North America to Capture Rare Red Sprites
Royal Meteorological Society Celebrates 10 Years of Incredible Weather Photography [Interview]
