Sprites using Night Vision Optics

Sprites are gas discharges from the top of convective clouds into space within the mesosphere (~50-100 km altitude). Sprites form part of the global electric circuit and involves accelerating electrons to relativistic velocities.
We aim to:
(1) Detect sprites for the first in South Africa
(2) Observe characteristics of sprites over the ocean, and
(3) Make the first multi-spectral images of sprites to determine the ionisation rate.