Sprites, Jets, and Elves

[bboyer]

Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 6:12 am Post subject: My Theory on the POV Reply with quote
OP "Maxwell Jennings"

Man talk about rain of fire!! I cant help but notice that they look like something of falling meteors. Although plasma does take the form of ball like orbs, But thet usually kind of float.

Yeah, very weird looking. Wish there was a wider field of view on that shot.

Had to play it a few times to start picking out details. In the initial stage it seem to be single falling objects, but almost immediately it turns into some kind of electrical parturition (objects splitting/breaking/fissioning apart). After that, all hell breaks loose and it looks like a fireworks show! I mean there are literally things flying in all directions (up down, side ways)... Weird...

Anywho, here's a link to another related article. Not sure if anyone mentioned it. Was linked off the first. But thought it was interesting too.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... under.html

~Michael G.

For some reason I’m not able to view the video for the last few days. Is anyone else having that same problem? It’s one of those videos that I love to play over and over again, it’s so fookin awe inspiring!

My developing theory about the field of view is that the play starts just after a distant sprite (seen in the background) hits apex and the falling orbs and trails we see are from that discharge or another nearby off frame. As those orbs fall, another sprite just off frame to the right ignites and literally overwhelms the older sprite’s plasma "debris" with energy. But hey, I’m a novice full of theories.
_________________
Maxwell Jennings
Remove Dogma from Everything

[bboyer]

Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 6:42 pm Post subject: Re: My Theory on the POV Reply with quote
OP "mgmirkin"

For some reason I’m not able to view the video for the last few days. Is anyone else having that same problem? It’s one of those videos that I love to play over and over again, it’s so fookin awe inspiring!

My developing theory about the field of view is that the play starts just after a distant sprite (seen in the background) hits apex and the falling orbs and trails we see are from that discharge or another nearby off frame. As those orbs fall, another sprite just off frame to the right ignites and literally overwhelms the older sprite’s plasma "debris" with energy. But hey, I’m a novice full of theories.

And you're sure you're looking at the right page?

(Article linking to video located here.)
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... rites.html

(Video itself embedded here; pulled up fine on my machine just now)
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... rites.html

(Older article on similar subject here)
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... under.html

Cheers,
~Michael

[bboyer]

Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 9:25 pm Post subject: Re: My Theory on the POV Reply with quote
OP "Maxwell Jennings"

For some reason I’m not able to view the video for the last few days. Is anyone else having that same problem? It’s one of those videos that I love to play over and over again, it’s so fookin awe inspiring!

My developing theory about the field of view is that the play starts just after a distant sprite (seen in the background) hits apex and the falling orbs and trails we see are from that discharge or another nearby off frame. As those orbs fall, another sprite just off frame to the right ignites and literally overwhelms the older sprite’s plasma "debris" with energy. But hey, I’m a novice full of theories.

And you're sure you're looking at the right page?
<snip>
Cheers,
~Michael

Yeah, same thing happens... The video player shows up but goes into la-la land and doesn't show anything. I'm on a T1 line at work and I've never had a problem bringing it up before or it taking too long.
_________________
Maxwell Jennings
Remove Dogma from Everything

[bboyer]

Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 10:21 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
OP "lite-brite"

Maybe I am reading too much into their description - the word "illusion".
Since the word was used twice it made me think that they are using the word illusion as an excuse to not explain the optical phenomena
An illusion means your perception cannot be trusted.

Is the word illusion a smoke screen for avoiding the obvious?

[bboyer]

Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 11:11 pm Post subject: Re: My Theory on the POV Reply with quote
OP "mgmirkin"

Yeah, same thing happens... The video player shows up but goes into la-la land and doesn't show anything. I'm on a T1 line at work and I've never had a problem bringing it up before or it taking too long.

Hmm, have you tried for elsewhere (library, etc?)... Perhaps it's a problem w/internet or firewall or something @ work? I just pulled it up again, and it works fine. What browser you using? If it's IE, try going into Options and see if your temporary internet files or cache or whatever they word it as is set to "check for new files EACH TIME." Or possibly clear the cache/temporary internet files. Sometimes it tries to load an old page and fails and doesn't think to try to load a NEW copy of the page unless you tell it to, or force it to. I use Firefox myself. Though there doesn't seem to be easy access to that kind of feature in the 'Settings' of Firefox anymore? Odd... But then, I haven't had problems loading things much either.

~Michael

[bboyer]

Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 11:16 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
OP "mgmirkin"

Slightly edited quote (order, not wording):

An illusion means your perception cannot be trusted. [...] Since the word was used twice it made me think that they are using the word illusion as an excuse to not explain the optical phenomena.

Is the word illusion a smoke screen for avoiding the obvious?

Probably. There seems to be a pretty good amount of detail and things happening. It's just a matter of then taking more and better videos and figuring out EXACTLY what is going on, rather than saying things are simply an "illusion"

Perhaps NASA's head in the sand is an illusion too?

Cheerfully submitted,
~Michael

[bboyer]

Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 4:48 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
OP "lite-brite"

I'll contend that this isn't taking quotes out of context because you can read the entire article as posted.

However, it almost looks like a conscious effort to not equate sprites with the word electric. According to the article the things that aren't understood simply don't exist. Just an illusion. Old pictures which were real are replaced by NEW pictures which are an illusion. They are ELECTRONIC and ENERGETIC not electric. There is no mythology associated with them (where did that come from!) and they are pretty to look at and have no further significance. Coincidence or ignorance? If not, it means that the main stream press is being edited for electrically neutral text. If so, congratulations, friends, we are making a difference!

Mysterious "Sprites"

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... tes_2.html

...that scientists still don't know much about how they work.

...luminous features that we saw in the sprites, that they didn't really exist

...new digital images show these strands are only an illusion

...They are electronic discharges that make the air above glow a luminous red, similar to how fluorescent bulbs burn.

...No ancient mythologies have been matched up with them

...People are identifying a lot of different kinds of discharge occurring in the middle atmosphere

..."So they probably do play some role in the energetics of the atmosphere

...if they are just like the rainbow, pretty to look at but with no further significance."


//Ooooh pretty fireworks...Nothing to see here... move along...

[bboyer]

Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 6:44 pm Post subject: Oy... What the?? Electronic? "Burning" fluorescent Reply with quote
OP "mgmirkin"

...They are electronic discharges that make the air above glow a luminous red, similar to how fluorescent bulbs burn.

Electronic? So, what, someone zapped a VCR in the ionosphere?

Sorry, electronic (in the common usage of the term) just conjures images of "equipment" that utilizes electricity. I think the word the article's author was grasping for was in fact electrical (having to do with electricity).

Remind me again how "fluorescent" lights work. Not by "burning," (a chemical reaction)! RTM [Read the manual]!!

Ohh, right, you fill them with fluorescent gas and then run an electric current through it, causing excitation of the atoms and a glow discharge (NOT burning/consuming fuel lest a fluorescent bulb would only work once or twice and die, NOT nuclear fusion or fission, NOT pixies, leprechauns and unicorns). NASA, you listening? We'll lay it out for ya'... 'Cause we're good like that.

Sorry for the mild sarcasm there...

Cheers,
~Michael

[bboyer]

Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 6:17 pm Post subject: Re: My Theory on the POV Reply with quote
OP "mgmirkin"

Yeah, same thing happens... The video player shows up but goes into la-la land and doesn't show anything. I'm on a T1 line at work and I've never had a problem bringing it up before or it taking too long.

Okay, let's get jiggy wit' it...

Umm, try one or all of the following (I tried to track down the actual file itself and/or how they accessed it on the web site; a few ways to try to get it):

Open windows media player and copy/paste the following link:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... prites.asx

Open in Firefox or Internet Explorer (it may ask you what plug-in or application to use to open the video, choose Windows Media Player)
mms://fjord.nationalgeographic.com/news/070619-sprites.wmv

(in either Firefox, IE, or windows media player, or possibly other app with .wmv support?)
http://fjord.nationalgeographic.com/new ... prites.wmv

If none of those work, you may be S.O.L.

Of course, I'd be surprised if none of them work.

You're able to access other videos, right? Like say, this one from thesurfaceofthesun.com's links? IE, it's not just a media player, issue?

http://trace.lmsal.com/POD/movies/T171_000828.avi

(granted it's not a .wmv, either)

Cheers,
~Michael

[bboyer]

Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 6:17 pm Post subject: Re: My Theory on the POV Reply with quote
OP "Maxwell Jennings"

Yeah, same thing happens... The video player shows up but goes into la-la land and doesn't show anything. I'm on a T1 line at work and I've never had a problem bringing it up before or it taking too long.

Okay, let's get jiggy wit' it...

<snip>
Cheers,
~Michael

http://fjord.nationalgeographic.com/new ... prites.wmv pulled up the Windows Media Player and it ran fine, so thanks for the info and suggestions!
_________________
Maxwell Jennings
Remove Dogma from Everything

[bboyer]

Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2007 8:17 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
OP "lite-brite"

If it looks like a sprite, acts like a sprite and behaves like a sprite it...

dn7623-1_250.jpg (3.76 KiB) Viewed 5230 times

http://space.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7623

must be just a lot of...?... ICE!

[bboyer]

Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2007 8:42 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
OP "Krackonis"

Maybe I am reading too much into their description - the word "illusion".
Since the word was used twice it made me think that they are using the word illusion as an excuse to not explain the optical phenomena
An illusion means your perception cannot be trusted.

Is the word illusion a smoke screen for avoiding the obvious?

Illusion is a way of not using the term filimentary. These balls that travel are likely the same toroids (ball lighting?) that happens in regular lighting. They are grounding "upwards". It makes sense that diffusion of the energy would occur to ground out the lightning to the torus of the earth.

Anything to avoid stating things in common sense terms.
_________________
Neil Thompson

Krackonis

"We are the universe, trying to understand itself."
- Delenn

[bboyer]

Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2007 8:44 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
OP "Krackonis"

If it looks like a sprite, acts like a sprite and behaves like a sprite it...

<snip image>

http://space.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7623

must be just a lot of...?... ICE! Smile

Cosmologists guess... Plasma Scientists experiment...
_________________
Neil Thompson

Krackonis

"We are the universe, trying to understand itself."
- Delenn

[bboyer]

Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2007 7:41 am Post subject: Reply with quote
OP "Eres"

Very interesting videos.
With regard to this interesting argument I want segnalize these electric links (in Japanese) of images and videos of sprites (also meteors and lightnings) that I to the time of my searches on these electric phenomenons had also segnalized to Wal Thornhill:

http://usjma.jp/~sprite/sprite2005.11pic.html

http://www.usjma.jp/~kaminari/Sprite%20 ... .3.13.html

http://www.usjma.jp/~kaminari/Gallery/G ... yhome.html

http://www.usjma.jp/~kaminari/Gallery/G ... car01.html

In third link click on left where written new.

As seem these phenomenons in the area of Japan are rather frequent.

[bboyer]

Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2007 8:13 am Post subject: Sprites... Reply with quote
OP "davesmith_au"

GREAT FIND Eres, truly a great find! I don't think I've seen any photos as good as these for complete pictures of sprites. I think this one's a real beauty: http://www.usjma.jp/~kaminari/Gallery/G ... 50118.html

Gotta be fodder for a TPOD.

Cheers, Dave.

PS when I tried to copy it it said "Access Denied"
_________________
PlasmaResources.com
"If you are not prepared to think outside the square, you will always be confined within it..." Dave Smith.