Red ELVEs Sighted over Europe

Space Weather News for April 6, 2017 http://spaceweather.com https://www.facebook.com/spaceweatherdotcom RED ELVEs OVER EUROPE: The season for exotic lightning is underway.  On April 2nd, a photographer in central Europe photographed a ring-shaped 'ELVE' hovering above the countryside of the Czech republic.  The luminous ring, measuring 300 km in diameter and located ~87 km above Earth's surface, circled the top of an unusually intense thunderstorm far below.  Red sprites danced around the circumference of the ELVE as the thunderhead shot pulses of electromagnetic radiation toward the edge of space. More of these upper atmospheric displays will surely be observed in the months ahead as spring and summer thunderstorms intensify.  Visit today's edition of Spaceweather.com for more information. Remember, SpaceWeather.com is on Facebook! Above: A red "ELVE" circles a thunderstorm high above central Europe on April 2nd.  Photo credit: Martin Popek of Nýdek, Czech republic. Share Tweet Forward Copyright © 2017 Spaceweather.com, All rights reserved.