Images of elusive ‘red ghosts’ in the Atacama Desert, Chile | Blinks

The European Southern Observatory (ESO), one of the most important international astronomical organizations, has recently subscriber Image of some “red ghosts” photographed on the horizon in La Silla, in the middle of the Atacama Desert, in Chile. The atmospheric phenomenon has been known for some time, but it has not yet been fully understood: the bright red streaks are lightning that occurs high above storm clouds. This process usually causes the electricity produced to be discharged high into the atmosphere, at up to 90 kilometers of altitude.

Observing and photographing the “red spectra” is not at all easy, because they appear faint on the horizon and only under certain conditions. It was first photographed in the late 1980s, sparking great interest among meteorologists.

As ESO explains: “A green gradient appears in the background of the image, known as night illumination. During the day, sunlight steals electrons from nitrogen and oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere, and at night, these electrons combine with atoms and molecules, causing them to glow. Usually a coilaerial glare It can only be seen in a very dark sky, where there is no light pollution ».

(Zdenek Bardon/ESO)

The ESO telescopes at La Silla are located at an altitude of more than 2,400 meters and thanks to the absence of light pollution, the location is ideal for observation.