Rare Photo Captures Sprites, Gravity Waves Over Hurricane Matthew
At least 28 of these electrical discharges called sprites flashed directly above thunderstorms brought by the barreling, category 4 Hurricane Matthew on Saturday, photographer Frankie Lucena told The Huffington Post.
In addition to the unique lights, one of his photos managed to capture gravity waves ― not to be confused with gravitational waves ― directly above the flashes as well. Steven Miller, an atmospheric researcher at the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere at Colorado State University, confirmed the extremely faint lines ― which resemble ripples ― after looking at satellite images.
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