Recent studies of lightning, using high-speed cameras, have revealed a whole world of activity in the upper atmosphere that nobody ever suspected.  Phenomena such as Blue Jets, Elves and Sprites are all associated with lightning and dance in the upper atmosphere above thunderstorms to altitudes as high as a hundred kilometers!  Now, an orbiting observatory built to observe GRB’s (Gamma-ray Bursts — some of the most intensely powerful explosions in the universe which blast out radiation at X Ray and Gamma Ray energies) has surprised scientists by detecting tremendously powerful bursts of gamma radiation coming from our own atmosphere!  These Gamma-Ray Flashes (GRF) seem to be yet another new phenomenon connected to thunderstorms, but their discovery is so recent that nobody has yet tested any theories; we simply don’t know what causes them!  In fact, until we have more information, it seems possible that they could even be dangerous for airline passengers (since they occur at around a standard airline cruising altitude).  Click here for more information: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2010/10feb_friendlyskies.htm