Mysterious Red Halo Returns Over Italian Town, Sparking UFO Theories
For the second time in three years, a strange red halo has been spotted over a small Italian town nestled in the Alps. This UFO-like phenomenon was captured by photographer Valter Binotto on November 17th, around 10:45 local time. The halo, estimated to be 200 kilometers across and hovering at 100 kilometers above, bears a striking resemblance to a previous sighting in March 2023 at the same location in Possagno, a town of around 2,200 residents.
Binotto, the photographer, explains that these halos are caused by a rare atmospheric phenomenon called ELVEs (Emission of Light and Very Low-Frequency Perturbations due to Electromagnetic Pulse Sources). Unlike UFO sightings, ELVEs are natural occurrences linked to powerful lightning strikes.
An ELVE is a fleeting, millisecond-long ring of light that forms in the lower ionosphere above large thunderstorms. It's the result of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) from a lightning bolt, which carries an electrical current of around 303 kilo-amperes, significantly higher than typical thunderstorms.
Binotto's observation is significant because it's the second sighting in the same area in just three years. NASA, which first discovered these glowing rings in the 1990s, categorizes ELVEs as Transient Luminous Events (TLEs). These TLEs are colorful, bright flashes that appear above clouds and can take various shapes.
On Earth, the red color is due to the interaction with nitrogen in the upper atmosphere. However, on planets like Jupiter, where the atmosphere is mostly hydrogen, ELVEs appear blue or pink. A 2019 study using data from Juno's ultraviolet spectrograph confirmed the existence of TLEs in Jupiter's upper atmosphere, a groundbreaking discovery.
This second sighting in Possagno has sparked curiosity and further research into these enigmatic atmospheric phenomena.
