In an extraordinary celestial display, a mysterious red halo has been photographed floating above a small Italian town nestled in the Alpine foothills, marking the second such rare atmospheric occurrence in just three years.
What Are These Mysterious Red Rings?
The glowing circular formation, captured by acclaimed nature photographer Valter Binotto above Possagno, bears striking resemblance to another mysterious red circle he documented back in March 2023. Despite their seemingly supernatural appearance, these lights aren't evidence of extraterrestrial visitors but rather a rare atmospheric phenomenon known as ELVEs.
ELVEs, which stands for "Emission of Light and Very Low-frequency Perturbations due to Electromagnetic Pulse Sources," represent one of nature's most fleeting displays. According to Spaceweather reports, these phenomena last for an astonishingly brief one-thousandth of a second - approximately 100 times faster than the human blink.
The November Sighting: Technical Details Revealed
The latest red halo appeared on November 17 around 10:45 PM local time, with Spaceweather noting it appeared slightly dimmer than the 2023 event. Binotto managed to capture this elusive phenomenon using specialized camera equipment: a Sony A7S with a 20 mm f/1.8 lens at ISO 51,200. The remarkable image represents a single frame extracted from video recorded at 25 frames per second.
"I didn't capture any sprites, but fortunately, I managed to capture this Elve!" Binotto revealed to Space.com in an email interview, expressing his excitement at documenting this rare event.
The Science Behind the Spectacle
ELVEs form through a fascinating atmospheric process. When an exceptionally powerful lightning bolt strikes, it sends an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) hurtling upward into the ionosphere. There, the EMP excites nitrogen molecules, causing them to emit a distinctive red glow - somewhat similar to how auroras function, though those are primarily caused by oxygen excitation.
In this particular instance, the ELVE was generated by a powerful negative lightning strike in a storm near Vernazza, approximately 300 kilometers south of Binotto's location. The lightning bolt reached an extraordinary -303 kilo-ampères (the minus sign indicating the lightning's polarity), producing an intense electromagnetic pulse that illuminated the ionosphere. For context, typical lightning carries just 10 to 30 kilo-ampères of current.
According to Spaceweather.com measurements, this particular ELVE hovered about 100 miles (160 km) above Earth's surface and spanned roughly 200 miles (320 km) in diameter, creating a massive yet incredibly brief atmospheric display.
Despite Possagno serving as the backdrop for two of these rare events, the town itself possesses no unique conditions that cause the phenomenon. ELVEs form high in the atmosphere and can be photographed from hundreds of miles away. Binotto's latest image was created by a thunderstorm near Vernazza, roughly 185 miles (300 km) south of Possagno, while the 2023 ELVE originated from a storm near Ancona, approximately 174 miles (280 km) distant.
These events highlight both the beauty and complexity of atmospheric science, demonstrating how specialized photography can reveal natural wonders that typically escape human perception due to their incredible speed and altitude.
