How is "Red Elf" lightning formed?

I believe everyone has seen lightning, and it is all white lightning, but have you seen red lightning? I probably have never seen it. Just a few days ago, near Surima in Tibet, a photographer was in awe. He actually photographed "red elf" lightning, which is extremely special. I never thought that there would be red lightning. It’s so amazing.

It is said that this is a "legendary" natural phenomenon, but now it appears frequently near the Himalayas. The last time it appeared was in May. After all, everyone loves to eat melons, so if you encounter this This weird natural phenomenon was once on the topic list among netizens.

As you can see from the footage, these lightning bolts resemble red stripes and are very dense. Think of it as a signal that shoots into space from somewhere in the sky. Some people call it "a signal that shoots into space." lightning". At the same time, such natural phenomena rarely occur and last only a few microseconds to tens of microseconds. In this case, it is very difficult to photograph. It is called "red elf" lightning.

In fact, "red elf" lightning is a type of "elf lightning", just a red one.

"Elf lightning" has an academic name, called "transient luminous event". The word transient is very appropriate, indicating that the duration of the luminescence is extremely short, and it is a kind of luminous event that occurs at very high altitudes. This instantaneous phenomenon occurs at a height higher than ordinary clouds, basically in the range of 40 kilometers to 90 kilometers.

Whether it is the ordinary lightning that everyone has seen, or the uncommon "elf lightning", or the aurora phenomenon, it is caused by the strong interference of atmospheric molecules and the instantaneous ionization that occurs. Its formation principle and strength There is a certain difference in degree.

For example, the natural phenomenon of auroras is caused by high-energy particles from the solar wind that accumulate in the polar regions under the influence of the geomagnetic field and react with atmospheric molecules at high altitudes.

Aurora

Ordinary lightning is caused by the friction of ice crystals in the air to produce positive and negative charges. The two charges accumulate in the upper and lower layers of cumulonimbus clouds. When the charges reach a certain value, The air in the middle will be broken, and the discharge phenomenon will occur.

Ordinary lightning

As for the cause of the formation of "elf lightning", it is actually closely related to ordinary lightning. It usually occurs in the upper part of a strong thunderstorm cloud. When a violent thunderstorm occurs inside it, After lightning, a strong electromagnetic reaction occurs, and then develops to high altitudes. An electric field mutation will form in the upper part of the thunderstorm cloud, triggering "elf lightning" of various colors.

Elven Lightning

The thunderclouds mentioned above are the basis for the formation of "Elven Lightning". However, if there are strong thunderstorms, "Elven Lightning" is not 100% likely to appear. , it can be said that it is a rare phenomenon.

Although "elf lightning" occurs at ultra-high altitudes, "red elf" lightning can be seen with the naked eye, but it has never been noticed. Another common one is "blue elf" lightning. The formation principles of these two colors of "elf lightning" are similar. They are both because nitrogen molecules are stimulated to form radiation and then emit light. As for the two multiple colors of red and blue, it is because the nitrogen molecules are stimulated to different degrees. Red is stimulated by It is produced when the degree of excitement is low, while blue is the opposite.

The "Red Elf" lightning flash usually lasts less than one-thirtieth of a second. You can imagine how short it is, and it is not very bright. If you can see it, you will probably never see it in your lifetime. All good luck will be spent. It is necessary to use a high-sensitivity camera to record the sky above the thunderclouds in order to record this rare and short-lived natural scene. This time, our country's photographer took a photo of the "red elf" lightning in Surima, the Himalayas. It is really rare.

Actually, I am wondering, if this phenomenon occurs frequently, is climate change a warning to human production and life through natural phenomena? It is just a personal opinion, haha.