Mittsommernacht mit Sprites – seltenes Phänomen mit der Kamera auf La Silla eingefangen
Diese einzigartige und spektakuläre Aufnahme vom La Silla-Observatorium der ESO zeigt einen wolkenlosen Himmel mit rotem und grünem Nachthimmelsleuchten, geschmückt mit himmlischen Objekten. Große und Kleine Magellanschen Wolke liegen knapp rechts von der Bildmitte, der rosarote Schein mehrerer Sternentstehungsgebiete und der schwache grünliche Schweif eines Meteors liegen gerade linkerhand der Milchstraße. Diese auffälligen himmlischen Stammgäste verblassen allerdings durch die Anwesenheit eines weitaus schwerer fassbaren und weitaus näher zur Boebachtungsposition liegenden Objekts.
Die sechs kleineren Ausschnitte unter dem Hauptbild zeigen in vergrößerter Darstellung ein extrem seltenen Phänomen, das man als Sprites bezeichnet. Ein paar Stunden vor Tagesanbruch – signalisiert durch das pyramidenförmige von der Basis der Milchstraße aufsteigende Zodiakallicht – entstand ein heftiger Gewittersturm am entfernten Horizont und die Erdatmosphäre wurde zum Schauplatz dieses vergänglichen Ereignisses.
Benannt nach Shakespeares schelmischem Geist Puck aus dem Sommernachtstraum und dem Luftgeist Ariel aus Der Sturm werden Sprites durch Unregelmäßigkeiten der Ionosphäre verursacht, sehr hoch über Gewitterwolken in Höhen von ungefähr 80 Kilometern. Typischerweise kann man sie als rot-orangene Blitze wahrnehmen, ausgelöst durch positive Entladungsblitze von Wolken zum Boden, die seltener als ihre negativen Gegenstücke sind. Die Entladung startet in den obersten Schichten der Wolken weit vom Boden entfernt. In einer kurzen Entladung erweitert sich der Sprite zum Boden hin und erzeugt herunterhängende rote Ranken.
Die hier abgebildeten Sprites erschienen über eine Dauer von 40 Minuten und waren schätzungsweise über 500 Kilometer entfernt (dazu gibt es auch eine Satellitenaufnahme, die den Sturm über Argentinien zeigt), jeder von ihnen erreicht eine Höhe von 80 Kilometern und dauert nur den Bruchteil einer Sekunde. Die Abbildung dieser schwachen Leuchterscheinungen ist ohne spezielle wissenschaftliche Kameras extrem schwierig, sie belohnten aber die Aufmerksamkeit von ESO-Fotobotschafter Petr Horálek mit seiner unglaublichen Bildserie.
Petr nahm ein weiteres wunderschönes Spritebild bei La Silla auf, einige Tage später am Paranal gelang ihm diese erstaunliche Aufnahme von der Plattform des VLT (Ursprung war dieser Sturm).
Links
- Rote Sprites am La Silla-Observatorium
- Sprites am Paranal-Observatorium
- Sprites am La Silla-Observatorium
P. Horálek/ESO
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