Cosmos/Sprites: Difference between revisions
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====Gigantic jets====
[[File:Gigantic_jet_NOIRLab.jpg|thumb|Gigantic jet as seen from the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii.]]
Huge bursts of lightning known as gigantic jets may be the tallest kind of lightning in the world. More than 50 miles (80 kilometers) above Earth's surface, extreme ultraviolet radiation from the sun reacts with air molecules to produce highly charged particles in a region near the edge of space known as the ionosphere. In 2001, scientists discovered gigantic jets of lightning arcing up from clouds in the lowest portion of the atmosphere, the troposphere, to the ionosphere. Researchers have since found they can leap up 50 to 56 miles (80 to 90 km). The bottoms of gigantic jets appear similar to blue jets, while the tops resemble sprites.
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