Red Lightning: 15 Mysterious Phenomena - How Many Have You Seen?

8. Chimney Events: Towering Columns of Red Light

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Sometimes known as column sprites, chimney events are a special sort of red sprite distinguished by their tall, thin form. The look of a brilliant chimney ascending into space is created by these vertical red light columns extending from the top of thunderclouds up to heights of 90 km. Unlike the more often occurring carrot-shaped sprites, chimney occurrences keep their width constant all through their length. Usually found in groups, they create an array of brilliant red pillars over thunderstorms that resembles a forest. Though their precise causes are yet unknown, chimney phenomena are thought to be connected to especially strong positive cloud-to- earth lightning strikes. Because they offer a direct visible depiction of the electrical link between several levels of the atmosphere, chimney events pique especially great interest for researchers. Their long vertical structure lets researchers investigate how electrical energy is dispersed and transported over a broad altitudinal range.