Mysterious glowing 'red sprites' lightning appears over Himalayas – What are they?

Rare Red Sprites Light Up Himalayan Skies in Stunning Display (Image: Advances in Atmospheric Sciences)

A quiet night in the Himalayas turned into something magical. High above Tibet, rare red flashes lit up the sky. These were not ordinary lightning bolts but glowing red sprites. They appeared in May 2022, surprising astrophotographers and scientists alike.

On 19 May 2022, astrophotographers Angel An and Shuchang Dong set up near Pumoyongcuo Lake. They hoped to capture rare celestial events but witnessed something spectacular. More than 100 red sprites flickered in the night sky.

These electric bursts did not appear alone. Some expanded into secondary jets, forming new patterns. A never-before-seen feature in Asia also emerged—green airglow at the ionosphere’s base. Scientists later named these glowing events “ghost sprites.”

Their images spread quickly across global platforms. News agencies, scientists, and weather experts took interest. This was not just a stunning event; it held scientific importance. The display hinted at powerful atmospheric forces at play.

Researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China launched a study. Professor Gaopeng Lu and his team traced the cause of these massive sprites. They found that strong cloud-to-ground lightning strikes triggered them.

“The event was truly remarkable,” said Professor Lu. “Our analysis showed sprites linked to high-peak current lightning discharges.” The lightning originated from a large storm system over the Himalayas. This proved that thunderstorms in this region create intense upper-atmospheric discharges.

A major challenge in the study was the lack of precise timestamps. Without exact timing, linking sprites to specific lightning strikes was difficult. To solve this, scientists developed a new method. They used satellite data and star positions to determine when each sprite appeared.

The parent storm was a mesoscale convective system stretching from India to Tibet. The lightning occurred in stratiform precipitation zones, where rain clouds spread widely. This storm produced more red sprites in one night than any recorded in South Asia.

Until now, red sprites were mostly seen over the U.S. Great Plains and Europe’s coasts. This discovery placed the Himalayas among the world’s top sprite-producing regions. Scientists now believe mountain storms can push energy into the upper atmosphere.

The study, published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, offers new insights. These high-altitude electrical bursts may influence atmospheric chemistry. They might affect how energy and particles move between layers of the sky.

The red sprites over Tibet were more than a rare sight. They connected science, photography, and cosmic forces. The Himalayas, known for their power and peace, now hold another mystery—a silent red glow in the night sky.