Pumoyongcuo Lake, Tibet – High above the majestic Himalayas, a dazzling display of nature’s own fireworks lit up the sky. Dubbed “red sprites,” these vivid red flashes of electrical discharges stunned onlookers. They’re not your typical lightning bolts but rare atmospheric phenomena that dance high above thunderstorms. On May 19, 2022, two Chinese astrophotographers, Angel An and Shuchang Dong, captured over one hundred of these elusive red sprites in a single night. The jaw-dropping spectacle unfolded near one of Tibet’s sacred lakes on the southern Tibetan Plateau.

The duo’s footage revealed more than just sprites. It showcased rare secondary jets and Asia’s first recorded “ghost sprites”—green airglow at the ionosphere’s base. This electrifying event sparked global headlines. Now, a study by Professor Gaopeng Lu from the University of Science and Technology of China, published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, has cracked the mystery. “This event was truly remarkable,” he declared. His team found that high-peak current lightning strikes from a massive thunderstorm system triggered the sprite fireworks.

Lacking exact timestamps, the researchers got creative. They synced video footage with satellite paths and star fields to pinpoint the sprite timings. A reviewer hailed this as a game-changer for citizen scientists. The study showed these discharges stemmed from a sprawling storm stretching from the Ganges Plain to Tibet’s foothills. It marked South Asia’s biggest sprite haul from one storm, rivaling displays in America’s Great Plains and Europe’s seas. The findings hint at even wilder atmospheric antics, possibly affecting Earth’s chemistry.

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