Blue Jets


  •  In 1994 low light cameras from the University of Alaska Fairbanks on board a NASA research jet accidentally caught the first images of blue jets bursting upwards from a cloud at speeds close to 100 miles per second.  Unlike red sprites, blue jets appear to not be related to cloud-to-ground light discharges but appear to occur near the point of intense thunderstorm cells.
  • According to the Geophysical Institute, Blue jets reach up to 35km of altitude with an upward velocity of 112km/s.  This is incredibly fast!  It is also argued that because of its velocity, blue jets are created from the center of thunder storms, but according to Science and Technology this claim is widely disputed.
  • One theory, is that negatively charged cloud-to-ground lightning makes the cloud more positive; the storm then pumps the extra positivity charged particles skyward in a high-energy burst that makes the ionized air around it glow blue.
  • According to Heavener and Mathew 2000, "Red spectral observations showed and emisson of 550-850nm while Blue Jets were stronger emitting close to 1000nm".  This means that Blue Jets have a a higher energy process.
  • Here is an awesome Youtube video, i found showing some Red Sprites and Blue jets in action:
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnAAB0z2o-k 
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