Statistical Characteristics ofSprite Halo Events Using Coincident Photometric and Imaging Data

Authors

R. Miyasato
Michael J. Taylor, Utah State UniversityFollow
H. Fukunishi
Y. Takahashi
H. Nielsen

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Geophysical Research Letters

Volume

29

Issue

21

Publisher

American Geophysical Union

Publication Date

11-2002

First Page

1

Last Page

4

Abstract

Sprite halos are brief, diffuse flashes, which occur at the top of a sprite and precede the development of streamer structures at lower altitudes. We have investigated the characteristics of sprite halos in detail using coincident photometric and imaging data obtained during the Sprites'96 and '99 campaign in Colorado and Wyoming, USA. It is found that the average altitude of the centroid of the halo emission and the mean horizontal diameter of the halo events are ∼80 and ∼86 km, respectively, while the average speed of the descending motion of the sprite halos was ∼4.3 × 10⁷ m/s. It was also found that the peak current intensity of the causative CG decreases with time delay from the onset of the sferics.

Comments

Published by the American Geophysical Union in Geophysical Research Letters.

http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2003/2003GL017645.shtml

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Recommended Citation

Miyasato, R., M.J. Taylor, H. Fukunishi, Y. Takahashi, and H. Nielsen, Statistical characteristics of sprite halo events using coincident photometric and imaging data, Geophys. Res. Lett., 29 (21), 2033, doi:10.1029/2001GL014480, 2002.