15 Types of Blue Lightning vs. Regular Lightning: Latest Scientific Discoveries

6. Trolls: The Afterglow Phenomenon

Named for the legendary monsters of Scandinavian folklore, trolls are an intriguing kind of blue lightning that follows strong sprite activity. Unlike normal lightning, a main discharge, trolls are secondary events that show up as brilliant blue light columns rising from the top of the sprite construction. Recent studies by scientists have found that subsequent lightning strikes in the parent thunderstorm warm the Sprite's trail, generating trolls. A distinctive spectral signature produced by this warming process sets trolls apart from other kinds of upper-atmospheric lightning. The length of trolls and ordinary lightning is among their most important variations. Although a normal lightning bolt lasts only a fraction of a second, trolls can linger for many milliseconds, which lets scientists examine their development and behaviour more precisely. This long lifetime has given researchers important information on the intricate interconnections among several forms of atmospheric electrical discharges.