Could sprites be the answer to the UFO phenomenon?

Sprites Indentified as Possible Explanation for UFO Sightings

Posted by Jon King on Feb 24, 2009

Tagged with: ball lightning, elves, goblins, lightning, sprites, trolls, UFOs, unexplained, weird nature

High in the atmosphere, often as high as 80 miles up and way above our ozone layer, bright flashes of light can be seen during thunder storms.

These bight flashes are known as ‘sprites’.

According to scientists at Tel Aviv University, sprites can sometimes appear to dart across the sky, giving the illusion of an unidentified flying object—or UFO.

Indeed, though they last for only a fraction of a second, and appear only during thunder storms, sprites are being put forward as the latest throwaway explanation for a phenomenon witnessed over many decades by millions, worldwide.

And they say UFO freaks are nuts.

“Lightning from the thunder storm excites the electric field above, producing a flash of light called a sprite,” Professor Colin Price proposes in his latest study.

“We now understand that only a specific type of lightning is the trigger that initiates sprites aloft.”

Professor Price is Head of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences at Israel’s finest seat of learning.

He continues: “Sprites only occur in conjunction with thunder storms, never occur on their own, and are cousins to similar natural phenomena dubbed by atmospheric electricians as ‘elves,’ ‘goblins’ and ‘trolls’”.

Because these phenomena appear to “dance” in the sky, Professor Price concludes, they could be responsible for some UFO sightings.

Oh, go on then. I suppose they could explain one or two.

What say you? Do you think ‘sprites’ and ‘elves’ and ‘goblins’ and ‘trolls’ might be what witnesses mistake for UFOs?

Let us know your views…

image: photo by Nelumadau now in public domain