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A group of photography enthusiasts in New Zealand have recorded visual evidence of red lightning, one of the least common light phenomena globally, during which bright red bursts become visible in the heavens.

A Memorable Night of Discovery

The imaging specialists began their evening to capture the Milky Way over the Ōmārama Clay cliffs in the South Island of the country on a night in October, before encountering the extraordinary event.

Assuming they would be fortunate to get good weather that after-dark period, but their night turned into “a night to remember,” a team member commented.

“He was checking his files for a Milky Way panorama and discovered he had captured crimson electrical bursts,” the photographer said. “We just could not believe it – we experienced excited exclamations and all sorts going on in the dark.”

Explaining Red Sprites

The scarlet phenomena are electrical discharges in the upper atmosphere, generated by thunderstorms. Unlike traditional lightning that aims at the earth, these events propel upward towards the mesospheric region, producing structures that are similar to vertical forms, root vegetables or even marine creatures. The first photograph of a this phenomenon was recorded – unintentionally – in 1989, by a research unit at the University of Minnesota.

Fleeting and Dreamlike Sightings

The phenomena last for such a short time – lasting just a millisecond – that they are rarely visible to the naked eye, but a team member was fortunate. “I was coincidentally viewing straight toward one when it took place – just a perfect coincidence observing the correct area of the sky and I saw a short crimson illumination,” he said.

Seeing the phenomena was a goal for this individual, an honored dark sky artist. “It appears as if you’re seeing something that is not real, it feels otherworldly … there is an intense scarlet hue that is visible for an instant, so it is captivating to observe.”

Technical and Artistic Mastery

Recording a red sprite requires a proficiency with technical photography, as well as an knowledge about science and creative flare, the individual explained. “It’s a really involved form of imaging that’s extremely satisfying as well.”

Another photographer commented it was one of the “most incredible evenings” of his career. “I was able to observe the starry river shining above the horizon while these enormous red tendrils of illumination swayed above a storm hundreds of kilometres away,” he described.

An Exceptional Photographic Achievement

As far as he knows, there are no additional photographs capturing crimson flashes and the galactic core from the southern perspective in the same photograph.

“It was one of those moments when you know you are seeing an event that may not recur in your lifetime.”