The Red Sprite and the Tree
Credit & Copyright:
Maxime Villaeys
The sprite and tree could hardly be more different.
To start, the red
sprite
is an unusual form of lightning, while the tree is a
common plant.
The sprite is
far away -- high in
Earth's atmosphere, while the tree is
nearby -- only about a football field away.
The sprite is fast --
electrons streaming up and down at near
light's speed,
while the tree is slow -- wood anchored to the ground.
The sprite is bright -- lighting up the sky,
while the tree is dim -- shining mostly by reflected light.
The sprite was fleeting --
lasting only a small fraction of a second,
while the
tree is durable -- living now for many years.
Both however, when captured together, appear oddly similar in this
featured composite image
captured early this month in France as a thunderstorm passed over mountains of the
Atlantic Pyrenees.