Jun 24, 2024
By: Ashmita Gupta
Credit: iStock
Last week, photographer Li Xuanhua had an experience of a lifetime when he witnessed four back-to-back “gigantic jets” toward the Himalayas in China and Bhutan. The colourful bolts of light were seen shooting upwards from a thunderstorm.
Credit: Li Xuanhua
The stunning composite visuals were shared as NASA’s Atronomy Picture of the Day. But there is relatively very little known about these gigantic jets, with this phenomena going virtually unnoticed until this century.
Credit: Hung-Hsi Chang
Unlike regular lightning, gigantic jets shoot upwards from thunderstorms, reaching the Earth's ionosphere – the upper layer of the atmosphere. These skyward giants can travel up to 80 kilometers, nearly three times higher than typical airplane cruising altitude.
Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/A. Smith
The lower part of a gigantic jet resembles another upward lightning discharge that illuminates the lower atmosphere called “blue jet”. The upper part of a gigantic jet shares visual characteristics with "sprites" – red flashes that dance above thunderstorms.
Credit: Stephane Vetter
The exact cause and trigger of gigantic jets are still under scientific investigation. Despite the ongoing research, scientists believe it is clear that the jets reduce charge imbalance between different parts of Earth's atmosphere.
Credit: Georgia Tech
Scientists think these lightning bursts impact the lower ionosphere, which is crucial for communication methods relying on radio waves bouncing back to Earth. So the immense energy of gigantic jets raises questions about their potential impact on satellites in low Earth orbit.
Credit: iStock
Seeing gigantic jets firsthand is rare, but looking for powerful, distant thunderstorms from a clear location could increase your chances. If you’re lucky enough to spot one, some NASA's projects let the public contribute to the study of these fascinating electrical phenomena.
Credit: iStock