05/01/2022
At the beginning of 2022, we invite you to take a trip to the top... about 408 km, on board of the .
Do you know ?
(Transient Luminous Events) are beautiful, bright and colorful events that occur in the dark side of .
We are used to observe and analyze from the ground. Thunderstorms take a whole new dimension when viewed from space, either from the or with the tools of a satellite.
Before the early 1990s, and the discovery of the first , the legendary character of these rare phenomena was reinforced by their enchanting names: sprites, elves, sylphs…
For a long time they were considered to be hallucinations or optical effects.
In 2015, Andreas Mogensen was the first to photograph a from space. In the autumn of 2021, Thomas Pesquet also had the opportunity to observe one during a fly over Europe (photo below).
Today, the is equipped with an instrument dedicated to the study of TLEs. It is called and is located outside the Columbus module. CNES is also working on the 2 project, a satellite scheduled for launch in 2025 (artist's view below).
These French and European technologies will allow us to better understand and characterize these storm phenomena.
On the ground you can also observe , photographers are specialized in observing them, such as Smith (www.spritechaser.com). Their images are breathtaking.
