Introduction When most people imagine lightning, they picture bright bolts striking the ground. But high above some thunderstorms, an eerie and elusive phenomenon occurs—red sprites. These crimson flashes, lasting just milliseconds, are part of a group of electrical discharges called Transient Luminous Events (TLEs). First captured on camera in 1989, red sprites remain one of the most mysterious and least understood weather events. In this article, we’ll explore: ✔ What red sprites are and how they form ✔ Where and when you can see them ✔ How they differ from other upper-atmospheric lightning ✔ Why scientists are so fascinated by them What Are Red Sprites? Red sprites are massive electrical…
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The Sailing Stones of Death Valley
In California’s Death Valley, large stones move across the desert floor, leaving long trails behind them. Despite many studies, no one has directly observed how these stones move. The mystery of Death Valley’s “sailing stones” has long stumped visitors to the national park and scientists alike. How do rocks at an area called Racetrack Playa, some larger than a microwave, move several yards across the desert floor, leaving tell-tale trails in the sand? Ralph Lorenz, a planetary scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, may have cracked the case at his kitchen table. Lorenz employed a tried-and-true method for testing his nascent idea: the kitchen-table experiment. “I took…
