The red fairies are part of one of the most famous urban legends in all of history. The speed with which they appear and disappear made those who were lucky enough to witness them, describe them without having a single test.
In 1989 they were photographed for the first time. The capture was in black and white. Five years later, in 1994, the first color photograph finally arrived and since then they have been elusive for scientists’ cameras, allowing themselves to be captured on few occasions.
Until recently they appeared on the starry firmament of the Atacama desert, in Chile. So from the European Southern Observatory (La Silla)astronomy experts “caught” the red fairies to leave this amazing image and also explain in detail what this atmospheric phenomenon is all about.
The image that goes around the world is published on the official ESO website and can be seen as a cluster of lights with a reddish appearance that seems to come from below upwards over the mountains of Chile. This is a visual illusion, because red fairies occur far away and high in our sky.
The scientific explanation of the red fairies
Scientists at the renowned observatory indicate that it is an elusive form of lightning that occurs high above storm clouds.
They discharge electricity high in the earth’s atmosphere at an altitude of between 50 and 90 kilometers. In addition to occurring much higher in the sky than normal lightning, red fairies are cooler than the white lightning we usually see and appear much fainter.
The image also shows how a green hue, known as airglow, is painted on the background. During the day, sunlight pulls electrons away from nitrogen and oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere.
While at night, these electrons recombine with atoms and molecules, making them glow. Airglow can usually only be seen in very dark skies where there is no Light pollution.
From the scientific institute they reported that the photograph was taken on the platform of the ESO 3.6 m telescope in La Silla, in the middle of the Atacama desert in Chile. Because of its high altitude and lack of light pollution, La Silla is perfect for capturing these unusual phenomena.