Amazed pilot filmed a blue beam of light shooting into the sky while flying over a thunderstorm.
The footage shows the view from the aircraft as it flies above the clouds.
Suddenly there is a flash of lightning beneath the clouds, accompanied a split second later by a jet of light shooting into the sky.
The unnamed pilot, reportedly working for an Argentine airline, filmed the images during a commercial flight, although there is currently not much information about the flight, the location where the images were filmed, and when they were shot.
The images were shared on Twitter and other social media platforms where they quickly made the rounds and were picked up in local media.
Local media said that the rare event, called a ‘blue jet’ was a rare meteorological phenomenon.
They said that it involved blue jets occurring in intense storms in the upper atmosphere, with electrical discharge originating at the top of the clouds able to extend towards space, sometimes reaching altitudes up to 50 kilometres in less than a second.
Local media quoted experts as saying that the blue hue comes from stratospheric nitrogen in the atmosphere, setting the bursts of light apart from the white light seen shimmering below the clouds.
To find out more about the author, editor or agency that supplied this story – please click below.
Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
The Ananova page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.
