7. The Catatumbo Lightning Phenomenon
Though not a single occurrence, the Catatumbo lightning in Venezuela is among the most frequent and amazing blue lightning displays seen worldwide. Over the mouth of the Catatumbo River, this unusual meteorological occurrence takes place when it empties into Lake Maracaibo. The area has long been well-known for its virtually nightly lightning storms, which may last up to 10 hours at a stretch and generate up to 280 flashes every hour. The Catatumbo lightning is especially remarkable because of its clearly blue colour, which is said to be brought about by the high methane concentration in the local atmosphere. Consistent throughout thousands of years, the phenomena has earned its nickname “The Everlasting Storm.” Extensive research on the Catatumbo lightning by scientists aims to clarify the special meteorological circumstances generating this continuous electrical activity. Apart from being a main tourist destination, Catatumbo’s blue lightning has become a natural laboratory for scientists investigating atmospheric electricity and climatic trends.
8. The Blue Sprite of 2015
Researchers on the International Space Station caught hitherto unheard-of pictures of a rare type of blue lightning known as a “sprite” in July 2015. Usually at altitudes between 50 and 90 km, sprites are huge-scale electrical discharges that arise high above thunderstorm clouds. The 2015 incident was especially important since it revealed complex formations of blue and red light that matched jellyfish or carrots, therefore offering the most clear photographs to date of this elusive phenomena. Sprite movement from the cloud tops towards the border of space lasts just a few milliseconds, unlike ordinary lightning. The blue hue seen in the sprite’s lower sections was ascribed to the excitation of molecular nitrogen at great altitudes. For atmospheric scientists, this finding gave important information that helps to improve models of the energy flow between several levels of the atmosphere during thunderstorms. Apart from expanding our knowledge of upper-atmospheric electricity, the Blue Sprite of 2015 underlined the significance of space-based observations in investigating these transient and difficult-to-detect events.