Over northern China, I was shooting the Cygnus region of the Milky Way, while we passed some active thunderstorms and due to the atmospheric activity, the ride was not very smooth. To get at least a few sharp exposures, I had to push my camera to a higher ISO setting than normal.

For once, this was a good thing, as it enabled me to capture some red sprites. These reddish flashes are a very fleeting phenomena, lasting only a few tens of milliseconds and the high ISO setting helped to make them visible.

Sprites occur in clusters above the troposphere at an altitude range of 50–90 km (31–56 mi). They were first photographed 31 years ago in 1989.

Riding high above the sprites are some deep red astronomical nebulas: North America Nebula, Pelican Nebula and the Gamma Cygni Nebula, belong to the constellation Cygnus, while the Elephant Trunk Nebula and the red Garnet Star are located in Cepheus.

To complete this celestial tour, the Andromeda Galaxy is hugging the horizon to the lower left of the sprited.


EXIF
Canon EOS 6D astro modified
Samyang 24mm f/1.4 @ f/2
Stack of 7 x 2.5s @ ISO 12800
Mount: Boeing 777-300ER

Copyright: Ralf Rohner