A red sprite captured over France by photographer Florian Riou [Photo provided by Florian Riou, florianriou.com]
A red sprite captured over France by photographer Florian Riou [Photo provided by Florian Riou, florianriou.com]

A massive glowing red formation resembling a jellyfish appeared in the sky above a French village, drawing widespread attention online. The phenomenon has been identified as a "red sprite" — a type of upper-atmospheric luminous event associated with powerful thunderstorms.

According to French science outlet Numerama on Monday, photographer Florian Riou captured streaks of red light crossing the sky on Sept. 16 (local time) above the village of Montemaggiore on the French island of Corsica.

Footage shared online shows light branching out in multiple directions from a central red column, giving the impression of a massive creature suspended in the sky. The tendrils of light closely resemble the tentacles of a jellyfish.

The surreal sight prompted reactions online such as "I thought the world was ending." Fox News described the rare "space lightning" phenomenon as something that, while not an alien invasion, "sure looks like one."

According to Numerama, the display was a red sprite — a fleeting luminous event that appears in the upper atmosphere during intense thunderstorms. The red color occurs because nitrogen in the atmosphere emits light after gaining energy from collisions with electrons.

Red sprites form at altitudes of roughly 50 to 90 kilometers above the ground and last only a few milliseconds, making them extremely difficult to observe with the naked eye or capture on camera. Despite their appearance in photographs, they occur far higher in the atmosphere than ordinary lightning.

The thunderstorm that triggered the event was located in the Barcelona area, some 500 to 700 kilometers from the village. Riou predicted the storm's geographic position in advance in order to photograph the sprites.

"Everything came together perfectly that night," Riou said. "The sprites were passing one after another over Barcelona when suddenly a massive one lit up my camera screen with a bright red glow."

Numerama said capturing red sprites on camera requires a clear night sky with minimal artificial light nearby, as well as a large thunderstorm at a considerable distance.


bbo@heraldcorp.com