After reviewing the images, the scientists determined what caused about half of the bright spots.

According to Cummer, the tips of some of the branches of some of the sprites are attracted by electromagnetic forces to the channels left behind by branching that occurred just milliseconds earlier.

The intense brightness indicates some kind of interesting chemistry that is still unknown.

"And because we can't get to that region (of the atmosphere), the only way we have to say anything reasonable is to take those processes and translate them into models," said Cummer.

Such models might tell scientists whether the chemical reactions occurring 50 miles above the earth could be having an effect on chemicals in the atmosphere much closer to Earth's surface.

"If the streamers are changing ozone concentrations in the atmosphere, there might be some long term effects," said Pasko.

To know for sure could require an even faster camera, said Pasko, one that can capture 25,000 to 50,000 frames per second.