Rare Upper Atmospheric Phenomena Spotted in Taiwan

Check out this video shot in Taiwan on August 20, 2014 that shows a pretty rare atmospheric phenomena called gigantic jets.

Gigantic jets occur in the upper levels of the atmosphere; the stratosphere and mesosphere. Most of our sensible weather occurs in the troposphere, the lowest level of the atmosphere.

Gigantic jets occur above thunderstorms and usually favor thunderstorms that form over the ocean or have large hail cores. These jets have an appearance that resembles lightning, and this is due to electromagnetic interactions causing an ultraviolet emission upwards into the atmosphere.

These jets are very rare, and only a few hundred have been observed and recorded. Our understanding of these phenomena is limited, although scientists are becoming increasing interested in researching jets.