RED SPRITES OVER EUROPE: High above thunderstorms in Europe, red sprites are dancing across the cloudtops. Martin Popek of Nýdek, Czech republic, photographed these specimens on June 1st:
"The transient forms were shooting up from a storm in Slovenia," says Popek.
Reaching up to the edge of space, sprites are a true space weather phenomenon. Some researchers believe they are linked to cosmic rays: subatomic particles from deep space striking the top of Earth's atmosphere produce secondary electrons that, in turn, provide the spark that triggers sprites. If this is true, then sprites could multiply in the years ahead as cosmic rays intensify due to the decline of the solar cycle.
Although sprites have been seen for at least a century, most scientists did not believe they existed until after 1989 when sprites were photographed by cameras onboard the space shuttle.
What is causing the increasing occurrence of space phenomenon such as Red Sprites and Noctilucent Clouds?
Some scientists, especially those employed by NASA, have suggested that noctilucent clouds (electric blue clouds seen best immediately after sunset) and red sprites (seen above thunderclouds), both which are new phenomenon first noticed in the late 20th century, might be caused by meteorites as these bodies burn up in the earth's atmosphere creating increasing amounts of space dust.
Since we have had asteroids and meteroites impact earth for thousands of years, why are these phenomenon now being noticed? Humans, such as the Three Wise Men and the Mayans have been observing the sky for thousands of years. Surely, they would have noticed this phenomenon, and would have commented on it.
However, I have heard some scientists speculate that these unusual weather sightings could be the result of all the air traffic that started in the 20th century, contrails from jets, geo-engineering spraying in the upper atmosphere to control weather, rocket launches, and even coordinated rocket-launched fire works displays on New Years Day and July 4.
BREAKING NEWS: sometime before June 11, 2017, NASA announced that they are launching a rocket, which would release chemical dye vapors. Ugh. These tests are neither healthy for us, nor for the environment.
ARTIFICIAL CLOUD DISPLAY POSTPONED: On June 4th, clouds prompted NASA to postpone a sounding rocket launch to dispense red and blue-green vapors 100 miles over the Atlantic Coast of the USA. The next launch attempt from Wallops Flight Facility will occur no earlier than June 11th. Researchers hope to track the motions of the colorful gases to study the dynamics of Earth's ionosphere. Visit the mission blog for updates.
To read these stories and more, please visit:
http://www.spaceweather.com/archive.php ... &year=2017