Paul M Smith
@paulmsmithphoto.bsky.social
Photographer. Citizen science. Nature lover. Night sky and storm chaser.
Last week I caught some of the most phenomenal events in the sky. These sprites were so strong and so close that their colors reached maximum intensity from my vantage point. The pink, purple, and blue colors at the lower 40-50km altitude are where the air is denser, meaning where molecules
I've been accused of AI quite a bit lately. I get it, the current social media trends do not foster an environment of trust. But with real photography, we have the human touch and true imagery of nature that can uncover secrets about our world that an AI eye simply cannot.
This old house in Oklahoma overlooks yet another storm passing by in the night. The inhabitants are long gone, but I often wonder about the sights they saw- their experiences that were never shared before the time of social media and photography.
Sometimes it is hard to believe that red sprites are nature. This finer details in this second jellyfish sprite from Feb 2024 shows some exciting features. Like the linear waves in the sprite halo - likely atmospheric gravity wave patterns like we see in airglow-
Once upon a lunar eclipse, I got the alignment of a lifetime
Happy battery charging day to all those on the plains who celebrate Sunday storms 🌩️
I opted against bird feeders for years because the resulting weeds in the flower beds were a pain. Now, I’m not giving up these moments for anything
This photograph wouldn’t be possible without the forecasts, radar, and data provided by NOAA and NWS. I’m not a wealthy man. If these weren’t public products, I couldn’t do what I do.
Red Sprites from Beavers Bend, Oklahoma. This was one of my favorite nights from this picturesque spot in southern Oklahoma - surrounded by the quiet of nature with a distant display of epic proportions.
Red sprites are the perfect blend of science and nature, fleeting moments of beauty in our own atmosphere. Each red spear is an excited ion channel, several miles long and triggering 50 miles above some massive charge change in the clouds below. Our very own electric zoo, right above our heads.
The amazing and elusive beauty of nature on a millisecond timescale. Red sprites remind us that our planet is incredibly special, and still has some secrets that aren't always easy to find.
My kiddo sent this to me this morning. I love how he thinks of me when he sees a sunrise. I hope that never changes
There's something about the swamp at night. It comes alive with the sound of the wild. The cries and choruses of a thousand creatures that otherwise remain hidden during the daylight. It is a place of sharp, black shadows and still reflections on moonless nights.
I had images in my head of what I wanted to capture on my recent adventure to the southern USA. I wanted storms and sprites with Bayou foregrounds. Man, it is a tough place to chase- dark skies are hard to find as are accessible, treeless areas to get a view.
Put my Jeep up for sale. Genuinely feels like letting go of a good friend. So many epic adventures together from Northern Canada to Galveston, Texas and everywhere in between. 200k miles of memories. Dang, I'm getting sentimental in my old age
I found myself complaining so much about AI , conspiracies, and anti-scienceness, that it was eating up a lot of my time unproductively. I decided a better strategy for pushback would be to create real and science-based longer form content. Certainly a better way to spend time.
Red Sprites and Andromeda over Missouri lining up perfectly with a lone tree. Chaos in our atmosphere paired with cosmic chaos. Nature is awesome. Single image
These two pictures of nature have been licensed for a permanent exhibit display at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. A great honor. Also available in my print store if you'd like your own display :)
Thankful for family, friends, and nature. All the best!
1) I'm working on a new video on the complexities of red sprites. Catching them in slow motion has been eye-opening. I postulate that we could subcategorize them into far more than just jellyfish, carrots, columns etc. Three random examples here with a very complex, channel-rich red sprite grouping
This shot over a small Oklahoma homestead last month involved a close sprite grouping. The almost circular pattern can be seen where sprites trigger in the QE field conditions centered around the parent stroke.
This image will be in the NASA calendar for 2025. One of the most detailed red sprites I have captured. Plasma physics is both beautiful and wild. Available as a print on my website for those who'd like to support my work
I never entered my images for APOD, but when asked to submit for the NASA calendar I decided to give it a go. Glad to be able to say that one of my images was chosen to be included next year. A great honor
Hey I'm Paul, and I like to chase unusual sky scenes
A brilliant red sprite cluster up close. When plasma physics meets nature on a massive scale, it is simply mesmerizing
Storm structure, that's what I need right now. Storm structure
