Røde feer dannes ofte i klynger indenfor højdeintervallet 50-90 km over jordoverfladen.<ref name=penn>[http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140507100423.htm Penn State. (2014, May 7). Sprites form at plasma irregularities in the lower ionosphere. ScienceDaily] Citat: "...Sprites are an optical phenomenon that occur above thunderstorms in the D region of the ionosphere, the area of the atmosphere just above the dense lower atmosphere, about 37 to 56 miles above Earth...Sprites occur above thunderstorms, but thunderstorms, while necessary for the appearance of a sprite, are not sufficient to initiate sprites. All thunderstorms and lightning strikes do not produce sprites. Recent modeling studies show that plasma irregularities in the ionosphere are a necessary condition for the initiation of sprite streamers, but no solid proof of those irregularities existed..."</ref> 
Sporadiske øjenvidneberetninger om røde feer går tilbage til 1886, men røde feer blev først fotograferet den 6. juli 1989 af forskere fra [[University of Minnesota]] og er efterfølgende blevet optaget på videooptagelser mange tusinde gange.<ref>Walter A. Lyons and Michey D. Schmidt (2003). [http://ams.confex.com/ams/pdfpapers/65547.pdf P1.39 The Discovery of Red Sprites as an Opportunity For Informal Science Education.] [[American Meteorological Society]].</ref><ref>[https://scitechdaily.com/video-captures-what-looks-like-an-alien-invasion-over-france-nasa-has-a-terrestrial-explanation/ July 7, 2020, Video Captures What Looks Like an Alien Invasion Over France – NASA Has a Terrestrial Explanation] Citat: "...A sensitive video camera on a summit of the Vosges mountains in France captured these surprising fireworks above a distant horizon on June 26, 2020. Generated over intense thunderstorms, this one about 260 kilometers away, the brief and mysterious flashes have come to be known as red sprites..."</ref>
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