Texas and Arkansas Red Sprites in high-speed captures.

Red sprites fire at 1/10th the speed of light and in most videos and photographs we see the whole event in one single frame. They last for only tens of milliseconds and it is very hard to capture how the shapes are formed. But they have some fine features which are formed in a truly bizarre-looking manner. I've experimented for over five years to try and catch this structure growth and finally captured some high-speed sprites this last week. Amazing structure progression and intricate features can be seen quite clearly as positive and negative streamers cut through the upper atmosphere in response to lightning characteristics below. Incredible physics is being displayed in our night sky. A truly fascinating phenomenon.
Sprites start at 1.23 .
Music : Oscillating form by Charlie Ryan via Artlist

Copyright Paul Smith 2023.

[Muonium]

Goddamn. The incredible complexity.... I could see how a high ambient electric field gradient at these altitudes could be set up by a powerful positive cloud to ground strike below, which then results in likely cosmic ray initiated avalanche breakdown and ionization - the basic explanation for sprite formation, but these discharges each appear to individually have MULTIPLE stages of up, down, up, and down again propagation that I couldn't even begin to intuit the causes of. There is so much left to reveal in the coyly veiled structures of nature.

[lissanne]

WOW-O-WOW This video is absolutely amazing. Thank you very much. 🎉🎉😊

[paulcooper]

The interaction is more complex than I expected.

[Sebastian-gsvp]

This is world class material, please keep on releasing videos!

[bassboylowg]

Your contributions to such a elusive phenomenon are much appreciated, thank you for all you do!

[alexbuilds]

Awesome work! You & PecosHank get the best shots of these things… And the slow motion is incredible. Thx 🙏🏼

[InKnowledge]

Great images. It looks like you have had as much fun as I did in 1994 when I first captured Sprites and Jets in Color. There was a mild argument at the AGU over whether Sprites were Red or Green in 1994. I will have to go back and look for the Sprites blue tendrils.

[purplealice]

I'm a fan of Pecos Hank, and he - after working with you - explained them as the earth/cloud system re-establishing the balance of its positive and negative charges, with sprites and ghosts and jet and other electroluminescent phenomena.

[danellemichel]

Wow, incredible images!!! The fishermen take it to another level. Firmament with Fishermen!!!!

[PoorMansChemist]

Very interesting that it moves towards the ground first. That makes a hell of a lot more sense. Getting this footage must have been a right pain in the ass. Kudos to you buddy.

[viridescentfen]

hi paul, i just wanna say thank you for the pure excitement this video has brought me. i hope to go into meteorology as a profession and want to storm/sprite chase to help in capturing footage for research. seeing your work and this incredible payoff after so much effort is absolutely fantastic, and it makes me so, so excited to know in the coming years i'll be out in the field watching nature's fury in all her glory. thank you for your work, your passion and your dedication, i hope to see you on the road!!

[ahumanmerelybeing]

Absolutely wild! The way those things form and grow is unreal. So cool to be able to see it in slow motion.

[SG-yqfm]

That is incredible! I was only able to find a few clip of sprites in proper slow motion on youtube a few months ago, what a fantastic contribution! What framarate were these recorded at?

[Mistland]

My name might be Mist but I'm addicted to sprite, and cant get enough of your videos/ photographs of them. Slow-Mo was totally worth it, mesmerizing. revealing a phenomenon like this must be so exciting. Thank You!

[cosmoBUZ]

I am deeply enjoying your videos. Hoping for ball lightning one of these days!

[FLANOsFOTOs]

Excellent captures ! Our Monsoon storms can't get here soon enough in AZ, NM, and Mexico ! This is one of my top must get for 2023 :)

[terri]

Love all of the videos and shots you share, as well as all of the information you give!! Thank you so very much for continuing on this path! Your time, patience, knowledge, and hard work are extremely appreciated!! ⛈️

[binra]

The upper part has no or little dielectric medium through which to branch and so is often like a Roman candle. Lower parts 'tree'. Plasma discharge of varying intensities behaves differently in different mediums.

[kerryann]

Just absolutely incredible!!!! Your work is amazing!!
Your work is the kind of stuff that should be on nature shows! Have you ever considered contacted them? I mean seriously you should!

[davespriter]

this is amazing. i never anticipated that they would move like this. absolutely insane