Elve

/ɛlv/ noun

Definition

A type of upper atmospheric transient luminous event that appears as a reddish ring expanding rapidly above thunderstorms high in the mesosphere.

Etymology

Acronym standing for 'Emissions of Light and Very low frequency perturbations due to electromagnetic pulse sources,' coined in the 1990s by atmospheric scientists studying high-altitude lightning phenomena.

Kelly Says

Elves were literally discovered by accident when satellite cameras caught strange red rings flashing above storms in the 1990s—they're so high up (about 85 km) that they're technically in space, and most people have never seen one even though they happen constantly.

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