STEPS 2000 JD 00176 24 JUNE 2000
FINAL SPRITE LOG
The following is the final listing of the times of sprites imaged at the Yucca Ridge Field Station. These are on visual inspection of the LLTV video monitoring system. All times are UTC. The times refer to the start of the 17 ms field in which the TLE was first visible.
SUMMARY: Full operations. Cells formed in eastern CO (some dry microbursts along Front Range) and moved eastward, passing the LMA in the evening. The Kansas MCS was large, and had periods of colder than –75C cloud tops. It had a well-developed trailing stratiform. It was caught making sprites just after dark as it was exiting the LMA. Then the rate dropped off, though it did make occasional rather big sprites. Spengler’s light and low clouds made viewing KS storm difficult, so we switched to the much smaller though intense (mesos, TVS) system 350-400 km out in NE. Some radar coverage was missing so it is possible that it was bigger than shown in the regional mosaics. But the cloud top shield (which was much larger than the echo) was notably warmer than the KS system for much of the time. Once the NE system started marking sprites it made many, some at a very rapid rate for a while. But the sprites tended to be rather small and dim, often horizontal "combs" Several elves and halos were seen. Four s-storm watches issued after dark. Ran red patrol, zoom and tele, along with GEN III (and S-VHS dub). Did not mount PD (storms too far). Used Winckler and VLF. Took many digital samples. Stanford got some good shots with telescope of both storms. Still problems with cross talk in the digital samples.
The debris clouds evaporated very rapidly after sunset. The sky was "bright" however, possibly due to OH glow or dim, diffuse aurora. Stars not very crisp, but overall visibility was quite good. Moon became problem by 0700Z, and low clouds blocked view of distant storm's operations shut down.
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(S) = Sprite; (E) = Elve; (B) = Blue Jet; (CF/CG) = Cloud/Ground flash; (M)=Meteor
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ON 0308Z
OFF 0701Z
24 June 2000 SPRITE TIMES
03:12:19.880 [S-]
03:15:54.399 [S]
03:36:47.663 [S]
03:41:34.282 [S]
03:44:32.325 [S]
03:47:29.853 [S-]
03:47:57.698 [S-]
03:49:07.868 [S]
03:49:40.617 [S]
03:49:40.700 [S]
03:49:55.382 [S]
03:50:38.693 [S]
03:50:53.222 [S]
03:51:07.906 [S]
03:51:34.047 [S]
03:51:53.085 [S]
03:52:04.193 [S]
03:52:10.636 [S-]
03:52:22.295 [S]
03:52:29.739 [S-]
03:52:56.165 [S]
03:53:05.472 [S]
03:53:26.596 [S]
03:53:45.595 [SE]
03:53:51.471 [S]
03:54:01.898 [S-]
03:54:02.165 [S-]
03:54:05.736 [S]
03:54:12.142 [S-]
03:54:29.639 [S]
03:54:38.202 [S]
03:55:15.322 [S-]
03:55:26.729 [S]
03:55:37.161 [S]
03:55:50.775 [S]
03:56:10.762 [S]
03:56:14.399 [S-]
03:56:47.193 [E+]
03:56:47.209 [S+]
03:56:54.440 [S]
03:57:08.687 [S]
03:57:33.370 [S]
03:57:33.670 [S]
03:57:33.779 [S]
03:57:48.861 [S]
03:57:57.937 [S]
03:58:11.618 [S-]
03:58:59.466 [S]
03:59:17.117 [S]
03:59:31.815 [S-]
03:59:46.864 [S]
04:00:22.150 [S]
04:00:58.953 [S]
04:01:25.514 [S]
04:01:48.804 [S]
04:02:24.823 [SE]
04:02:31.447 [SE]
04:02:37.803 [S]
04:03:08.685 [S]
04:03:32.575 [S]
04:04:01.213 [S]
04:04:10.530 [S-]
04:04:31.918 [S]
04:04:54.158 [S]
04:05:01.699 [S-]
04:05:23.552 [SE+]
04:05:28.559 [S]
04:05:30.978 [S]
04:05:57.555 [S]
04:06:18.393 [S]
04:06:53.745 [S]
04:07:12.497 [S]
04:09:48.789 [E]
04:10:26.027 [S]
04:11:16.294 [E]
04:11:30.875 [S+]
04:12:38.443 [E]
04:13:06.605 [S-]
04:13:33.131 [S]
04:15:18.022 [S-]
04:19:33.847 [S]
04:19:34.308 [S]
04:25:26.570 [SE]
04:30:15.524 [S]
04:30:52.633 [S]
04:32:10.656 [S]
04:33:54.759 [S-]
04:35:33.999 [S]
04:35:52.368 [S]
04:38:38.054 [S]
04:45:05.894 [S]
04:48:38.456 [S]
04:50:03.397 [S]
04:51:35.460 [S]
04:52:46.211 [S]
04:54:58.411 [S+]
04:56:14.221 [S]
04:57:34.802 [S]
04:58:53.964 [S]
05:01:25.099 [S]
05:02:45.083 [S]
05:04:59.312 [S]
05:06:35.562 [S]
05:09:33.263 [E]
05:10:36.232 [S]
05:13:01.127 [E]
05:13:01.140 [S]
05:13:39.061 [E]
05:14:13.112 [E]
05:15:36.781 [S-]
05:16:05.593 [S]
05:16:29.200 [E]
05:16:59.731 [E]
05:19:05.608 [S-]
05:20:42.537 [S]
05:21:44.399 [E]
05:21:44.416 [S]
05:21:53.611 [S]
05:22:22.771 [S]
05:23:47.193 [S]
05:25:51.652 [S]
05:26:26.948 [S]
05:26:48.603 [S-]
05:27:21.302 [SE]
05:27:53.726 [S]
05:28:50.733 [S?]
05:29:26.402 [S]
05:31:48.997 [SE]
05:31:49.102 [S]
05:32:53.900 [S]
05:33:05.924 [S]
05:33:06.078 [S]
05:34:42.539 [S]
05:35:25.916 [S]
05:36:57.692 [S]
05:38:33.905 [S]
05:39:00.967 [S]
05:40:41.018 [S-]
05:41:00.234 [S&H]
05:43:28.347 [S]
05:45:09.532 [S]
05:45:49.396 [SE]
05:49:16.690 [S]
05:52:34.123 [S-]
05:54:45.393 [S]
05:56:07.788 [S-]
05:57:08.300 [S--]
05:57:27.119 [S]
05:58:56.672 [S]
06:01:15.550 [S]
06:01:53.521 [S]
06:02:03.965 [S-]
06:03:02.450 [S]
06:03:35.090 [S]
06:04:14.914 [S-]
06:04:39.372 [S--]
06:05:46.924 [S--]
06:06:45.889 [S]
06:08:02.282 [S]
06:08:27.119 [S]
06:10:17.080 [SE]
06:12:11.450 [SE]
06:12:52.478 [S]
06:15:59.714 [S]
06:16:53.994 [S]
06:17:24.217 [S]
06:18:00.320 [S-]
06:18:04.741 [S-]
06:20:35.544 [S]
06:21:30.345 [S]
06:26:09.664 [S-]
06:29:38.642 [S-]
06:31:08.016 [S]
06:34:45.403 [S]
06:39:06.066 [S]
06:41:17.883 [S]
06:42:22.515 [S]
06:42:36.012 [S]