Sprite photography with the SOFIA Stratospheric Flying Observatory?

Historic planetary instability and catastrophe. Evidence for electrical scarring on planets and moons. Electrical events in today's solar system. Electric Earth.
Holger Isenberg
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Sprite photography with the SOFIA Stratospheric Flying Observatory?

Unread post by Holger Isenberg » Tue Oct 27, 2020 4:08 am

Quoting the Sep 2020 report https://oig.nasa.gov/docs/IG-20-022.pdf:
SOFIA has not met operational or science productivity expectations, which has caused stakeholders to question whether the $83 million spent annually on the Program can be put to better use.
With that, how about using this nice mobile 2.5m reflector telescope for high speed imaging sprites and other electric features above thunderstorms?

The current field of view of the FPI+ CCD camera is a square of 8x8 arcmin (1/3 lunar angular size) which might be too small for that purpose but it could be usable for trying to capture extreme detail views.

The minimum exposure time appears to be 1/1000 s of the FPI+ camera which is most likely an Ixon 3 888 with its e2v CCD201-20 1024 x 1024 CCD:
https://physiology.case.edu/media/eq_ma ... _guide.pdf

Other current instruments which can be screwed on the telescope:
https://www.sofia.usra.edu/science/prop ... ok-cycle-9

Earlier, in cycle 5 a high speed 1024x1024 2 band photometer was in use:
https://www.sofia.usra.edu/science/prop ... -viii-hipo

The optical wavelength limits are from far IR down to 300nm (UV) and would fit.

I read about the usable telescope elevation of 20 - 60 degree, which would be outside of the typical sprites observation near the horizon from the flight level. But with flying a curve it could be reached...

Comments?

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Xuxalina Rihhia
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Re: Sprite photography with the SOFIA Stratospheric Flying Observatory?

Unread post by Xuxalina Rihhia » Thu Oct 29, 2020 3:13 am

Personally, I think using SOFIA for sprite photography would enhance the sciences via the study of the electrical phenomena associated with sprites and jets.
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Holger Isenberg
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Re: Sprite photography with the SOFIA Stratospheric Flying Observatory?

Unread post by Holger Isenberg » Fri Dec 18, 2020 4:06 am

That means it is now available for focussing on a completely different topic, like Sprites?


Cargo
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Re: Sprite photography with the SOFIA Stratospheric Flying Observatory?

Unread post by Cargo » Sat Dec 19, 2020 3:00 am

Point it at Jupiter and Saturn. But at the least use it over Earth if nothing else.
interstellar filaments conducted electricity having currents as high as 10 thousand billion amperes
"You know not what. .. Perhaps you no longer trust your feelings,." Michael Clarage
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Cargo
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Re: Sprite photography with the SOFIA Stratospheric Flying Observatory?

Unread post by Cargo » Sun Dec 20, 2020 6:19 am

Wouldn't this be great mission for the Plane Scope, to fly up and check out the Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the best place. I'd put my Tax dollars on that project. :D
interstellar filaments conducted electricity having currents as high as 10 thousand billion amperes
"You know not what. .. Perhaps you no longer trust your feelings,." Michael Clarage
"Charge separation prevents the collapse of stars." Wal Thornhill

Holger Isenberg
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Re: Sprite photography with the SOFIA Stratospheric Flying Observatory?

Unread post by Holger Isenberg » Wed Nov 17, 2021 8:33 pm

As SOFIA is still discussed to be shut down: Could it be converted to a wider field of view than the current 8' (0.26 lunar diameter) when a UV camera would be installed for high speed extreme detail sprite photography? Sure, you have to fly a curve then to bank it enough to get the minimum elevation of 20° lower, but as a standard curve in aviation is up to a 30° bank, that should work fine.
Last edited by Holger Isenberg on Wed Nov 17, 2021 8:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Holger Isenberg
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Re: Sprite photography with the SOFIA Stratospheric Flying Observatory?

Unread post by Holger Isenberg » Wed Nov 17, 2021 8:37 pm

Why using a aircraft-based telescope for sprite photography?
Because you cannot do that from space and from the ground you are limited in spectrum in the UV band, especially for high resolution photography and those high energy effects are better visible in the shorter wavelengths.

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