TY - JOUR
T1 - Space shuttle observation of an unusual transient atmospheric emission
AU - Yair, Yoav
AU - Price, Colin
AU - Ziv, Baruch
AU - Israelevich, Peter L.
AU - Sentman, David D.
AU - São-Sabbas, Fernanda T.
AU - Devir, Adam D.
AU - Sato, Mitsuteru
AU - Rodger, Craig J.
AU - Moalem, Meir
AU - Greenberg, Eran
AU - Yaron, Ofer
PY - 2005/1/28
Y1 - 2005/1/28
N2 - We report an observation of an unusual transient luminous event (TLE) detected in the near IR, south of Madagascar above the Indian Ocean. The event was imaged from the space shuttle Columbia during the MEIDEX sprite campaign [Yair et al., 2004]. It was delayed 0.23 seconds from a preceding visual lightning flash which was horizontally displaced >1000 km from the event. The calculated brightness in the 860 (±50) nm filter was ∼310 ± 30 kR, and the morphology of the emitting volume did not resemble any known class of TLE (i.e., sprites, ELVES or halos). This TIGER event (Transient Ionospheric Glow Emission in Red) may constitute a new class of TLE, not necessarily induced by a near-by thunderstorm. We discuss possible generation mechanisms, including the conjugate sprite hypothesis caused by lightning at the magnetic mirror point, lightning-induced electron precipitation and an extraterrestrial source, meteoric or cometary.
AB - We report an observation of an unusual transient luminous event (TLE) detected in the near IR, south of Madagascar above the Indian Ocean. The event was imaged from the space shuttle Columbia during the MEIDEX sprite campaign [Yair et al., 2004]. It was delayed 0.23 seconds from a preceding visual lightning flash which was horizontally displaced >1000 km from the event. The calculated brightness in the 860 (±50) nm filter was ∼310 ± 30 kR, and the morphology of the emitting volume did not resemble any known class of TLE (i.e., sprites, ELVES or halos). This TIGER event (Transient Ionospheric Glow Emission in Red) may constitute a new class of TLE, not necessarily induced by a near-by thunderstorm. We discuss possible generation mechanisms, including the conjugate sprite hypothesis caused by lightning at the magnetic mirror point, lightning-induced electron precipitation and an extraterrestrial source, meteoric or cometary.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=20144388666&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1029/2004GL021551
DO - 10.1029/2004GL021551
M3 - ???researchoutput.researchoutputtypes.contributiontojournal.article???
AN - SCOPUS:20144388666
SN - 0094-8276
VL - 32
SP - 1
EP - 4
JO - Geophysical Research Letters
JF - Geophysical Research Letters
IS - 2
ER -