Chasing Sprites in Electric Skies

Paul Smith, a dedicated night-sky enthusiast and skilled photographer, has a keen interest in capturing sprites – luminous bursts of light that grace the upper atmosphere during thunderstorms. In a captivating expedition, Smith guided NASA scientist Dr. Burcu Kosar through Oklahoma's remote landscapes, offering her a firsthand experience of chasing these elusive phenomena. Despite her extensive research spanning over 15 years, this was Dr. Kosar's inaugural chase of sprites.

Explore NASA's citizen science project, Spritacular, aimed at studying these remarkable upper atmospheric events. Additionally, learn about the Heliophysics Big Year initiative by NASA.

Imagery credits: Paul Smith, Frankie Lucena, Panagiotis Tsouras, Thomas Ashcraft. Sprite imagery is used with permission and protected by copyright.

Soundtrack credits:

"The Beauty Beyond" by Jeremy Noel William Abbott [PRS], Vasco [PRS]
"Outer Orbit" by Alexander Ryder Mcnair [ASCAP], Harry Gregson Williams [BMI], Ho Ling Tang [BMI]
"Wonderful Orbit" by Tom Furse Fairfax Cowan [PRS]
"Starlights" by Marc Teitler [PRS], Vasco [PRS]
"A Tranquil End" by Luke Gordon [PRS]
"Virtual Tidings" by Andrew Michael Britton [PRS], David Stephen Goldsmith [PRS]
"Winter Aurora" by Samuel Karl Bohn [PRS]
"Lava Flow" and "Water Dance" by Ben Niblett [PRS], Jon Cotton [PRS]
Video produced by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
Producer: Joy Ng (KBRwyle)
Scientist: Burcu Kosar (Catholic University of America)
Photographers: Paul Smith, Frankie Lucena, Panagiotis Tsouras, Thomas Ashcraft
Videographers: Joy Ng, Thomas Smith
Writer: Lina Tran

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