Lightning Sprites

[cometcatcher (Kevin)]

It's sprite night! Just caught a couple on the main PC. Might have pics later tonight to show. The full moon isn't helping but I'm using a red filter to try and block it a bit.

[cometcatcher (Kevin)]

Storm was 200km away this time, a bit far off, the moon was 99% and the sky smokey. Still, I got a few faint ones.

Mintron video camera, frame integration 128x (2.5 seconds per frame), 25A red filter, 8mm f1.3 lens.

[Astroman (Andrew Wall)]

Awesome stuff Kevin. Thats just brilliant.

[avandonk]

Amazing captures Kevin.What direction and at what time were these captured? Just trying to get an idea of their brightness or lack of by comparing to other objects in sky (stars and nebula). Could you indicate a constellation or two.
Thanks for showing these.

Bert

[cometcatcher (Kevin)]

Thanks guys.

I'll see what I can do Bert. By comparison to stars the sprites look bright, but remember my camera is red sensitive to start with and even more so with the red filter.

Here's a pretty close approximation to a sky chart.

By coincidence the sprite in this pic is very close to the Eta Carina nebula.

[h0ughy (David)]

that is mind blowing. Awesome shots, congaratulations.

[avandonk]

Thanks Kevin just wanted to get an idea of how difficult these objects are to capture. Looks like you have it down to a fine art.


Bert

[gaa_ian (Ian)]

Good on you Kevin !
Do you just wait till you can see distant lightning ?
or do you check the local weather radar etc ?

[venus (Lydia)]

congrats amazing pics there Kevin, I've read somewhere that on board the ISS the astronauts have also captured images of this interesting phenomena.

Going back to the fire-ball, I once had a dream that one flew in through my lounge window and all around the room and then out through the window agian.
It was a dream you never forget like the flying ones.

[CometGuy]

A storm 200km NE of me this night produced some spectacular sprites. 2 I witnessed were amazing with the naked eye extending 20 degrees vertically and looking like bright auroral rays/search light beams. They would have been obvious to the naked eye even for a non-astronomer. Unfortunately I did not capture this with the camera (it was point too far have the camera pointed in the correct direction). Having repointed the camera I was still able to capture quite a bright sprite from the same storm (attached). I am currently uploading some more picks at the following gallery:

http://www.pbase.com/terrylovejoy/sprite__dec_17_2005

[venus (Lydia)]

that's a great capture there in "Sprite Above Thunderstorm - 7:28pm"

[CometGuy]

Attached is just the red channel enhanced. Note this was a 10 sec exposure made with my modified 300D + 28mm f2.8 lens + ISO1600.

Terry

[gaa_ian (Ian)]

The shots on your site are great Terry.
Especially with Orion above !

[CometGuy]

Thanks Ian,

I am regretting not having the camera pointing at the bright sprites I saw. They would have looked amazing and being much larger and brighter than the ones shown here.

Terry

[venus (Lydia)]

The sprites have some funny names ........




sprites

[cometcatcher (Kevin)]

Originally Posted by gaa_ian

Do you just wait till you can see distant lightning ?
or do you check the local weather radar etc ?

Both. Unfortunately my entire view to the west and NW is blocked by trees and power lines so the only directions available to me are south through to NE.

Good colour shots Terry. When you say modified 300D do you mean with a different IR filter inline or removed completely?

[CometGuy]

Kevin,

Modified with a Baader UVIR cut filter so the cutoff is 700nm. As I understand Sprites emit strongly in the 660-680 nm + 760nm range. Clear glass would would be the best option for a DSLR as this would allow the 760nm light to be detected, although colour balance would be stuffed as the green and blue pixels are mildly sensitive to this wavelength.

Next time I'll pay more attention to radar as initially I was pointing above a nearer/weaker storm.

Terry