Rare sprites join northern lights in spectacular Virginia sky

Before the dramatic displays of fireworks and lightning on July 4, another spectacular show unfolded overhead. A strong solar storm sparked the northern lights, which appeared over dark skies away from city lights early Saturday morning.

Numerous skywatchers in western Virginia photographed the aurora, but Nathan Sottung, observing from just north of Winchester, captured another rare phenomenon at the same time: thunderstorm sprites.

"I saw the first sprite on the back of the camera LCD and couldn't believe it," he wrote on SpaceWeather.com, where he shared some of his photos. " Set the camera on a timelapse and managed to capture 2 frames."

Sprites are rare, fleeting flashes of red light that appear high above powerful thunderstorms, often resembling giant jellyfish in the upper atmosphere.

The sprites in Sottung's images were triggered by distant thunderstorms over Pennsylvania, he told us.

His photographs capture both the purple curtains of the aurora and the crimson streaks of the sprites in the same frame — an unusual pairing. The lead photo at the top of this post offers the clearest view of the sprites.

The northern lights were triggered by a Level 3 (G3) geomagnetic storm that buffeted Earth's magnetic field. "After the impact, observers in more than 30 U.S. states reported seeing auroras," SpaceWeather.com reported.

Multiple members of the Virginia Northern Lights and Star Nights Alerts Facebook page shared aurora photos, mainly from the mountains.

Such widespread aurora displays are unusual in midsummer. Short summer nights reduce the window for viewing, and stronger solar storms tend to be more common during the spring and fall.