NASA has released a composite image showcasing impressive high-atmosphere lightning strikes, known as gigantic jets, occurring over the Himalayan mountains around the Bhutan-China border.
Photographer Li Xuanhua captured a remarkable and unusual natural occurrence in the form of four jets shooting into space. NASA clarified that these jets are a specific form of lightning discharge that takes place between thunderstorms and the Earth’s ionosphere, different from typical cloud-to-cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning.
Gigantic jets can ascend to 80 kilometres into the ionosphere with a force that is 50 times greater than that of a typical lightning strike. These entities have only been detected in the 21st century. NASA frequently provides updates on cosmic events, including the latest dissemination of information about these luminous jets observed in the skies above China and Bhutan.
These jets have a substantial influence on technology that is based in space. The energy transmission they enable could have an impact on satellites, communication systems, and radar operations. Scientists are currently studying this phenomenon in great detail.
Scientists are captivated by many upper-atmosphere phenomena, such as Red Sprites, blue jets, and elves, which are classified as Transient Luminous Events (TLEs), in addition to gigantic jets.
