Gigantic Jets over Himalayan Mountains

Yes, but can your thunderstorm do this? Pictured here are gigantic jets shooting up from a thunderstorm last week toward the Himalayan Mountains in China and Bhutan . The composite image captured four long jets that occurred only minutes apart. Gigantic jets , documented only in this century, are a type of lightning discharge that occurs between some thunderstorms and the Earth's ionosphere high above them. They are an unusual type of lightning that is much different from regular cloud-to-cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning . The bottoms of gigantic jets appear similar to a cloud-to-above strike called blue jets , while the tops appear similar to upper-atmosphere red sprites . Although the mechanism and trigger that cause gigantic jets remains a topic of research , it is clear that the jets reduce charge imbalance between different parts of Earth's atmosphere . A good way to look for gigantic jets is to watch a powerful but distant thunderstorm from a clear location.