Researchers are starting to reveal the science of red sprites. No, not the supernatural spirits that flit through fairytales, but the bursts of rare red lightning that flicker and flash through the middle-upper atmosphere.
Teasing out the timing of over 90 red sprites and tying over 60 of them to specific strokes of parent lightning, the research reveals that one of South Asia’s largest shows of sprite fireworks arose within a cluster of thunderstorms above the Himalayas in 2022.
Its appearance there indicates that South Asia sees some of the most stunning shows of lightning in the world, akin to those seen in the Great Plains in the U.S. and along the coasts of Europe.
