Desert Lights

[asechrest]

Interesting story. I'd never heard of this:

This isn't a painting. It's not from a movie. It's not a strange astronomical event. This is real — what you can see when certain helicopters in Afghanistan touch down on sandy ground, raising dust, causing mysterious arcs of light to loop and dance through the air.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2...npr&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=20130730

Image courtesy of Sgt. Mike MacLeod/U.S. Army, linked from NPR website.

 

[nddons]

Wow. Very cool. Thanks for posting.

 

[No Joy]

Interesting story. I'd never heard of this:

Image courtesy of Sgt. Mike MacLeod/U.S. Army, linked from NPR website.

It’s not all that new or mysterious. I think it can be very beautiful at times. Though it also can be unnerving, especially if your on the aircraft in a hostile zone, or in operation with the aircraft. It’s been noticed long before were we in Afghanistan. The first time I noticed it was in the 1980s.



The Kopp-Etchells Effect: Eerie Halo of a Helicopter's Rotor Blades in a Dust Cloud
http://www.neatorama.com/2009/09/01...f-a-helicopters-rotor-blades-in-a-dust-cloud/

Helicopter Rotor Galaxy-Like Visual Effect Explained
http://www.core77.com/blog/photogra...galaxy-like_visual_effect_explained_25264.asp

Helicopter blades generate lightning bolts
http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/11/22/helicopter-blades-generate-lig/

Helicopter Static-Electricity Phenomenon Explained [corona effect]
http://realitypod.com/2011/03/helicopter-static-electricity-phenomenon-explained-corona-effect/