Rare ELVE Phenomenon: Giant Red Ring Captured Over Northern Italy

On the night of November 17, 2025, precisely around 10:45 PM local time, photographer Walter Binotto documented an exceedingly rare atmospheric event above Northern Italy. This phenomenon is scientifically known as ELVE, which stands for Emission of Light and Very Low-Frequency Perturbations due to Electromagnetic Pulse Sources.

ELVE manifests as a massive, fleeting red ring that flashes into existence for only a fraction of a second. These events fall under the classification of Transient Luminous Events (TLEs) and occur high up in the ionosphere. Capturing an ELVE requires exceptional timing and precision, as these occurrences last roughly one-thousandth of a second—about 100 times faster than a human blink—making them invisible to the naked eye. The specific sighting took place near the municipality of Possagno, situated at the base of the Italian Alps.

The spectacular illumination originated from a powerful lightning strike. This discharge was recorded approximately 300 kilometers away from the observer, near the location of Vernazza. Estimates suggest this lightning bolt carried an electric current of around -303 kiloamperes (kA). To put that into perspective, this current is 10 to 30 times stronger than the typical current found in an average thunderstorm discharge, which usually ranges between 10 and 30 kA. The resulting red ring marks the precise location where the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) generated by the lightning reached the Earth's ionosphere, exciting nitrogen molecules and causing the brief, intense red glow.

The captured ring displayed a substantial diameter, measuring approximately 200 kilometers across. It hovered at an altitude of roughly 100 kilometers above the planet's surface. Walter Binotto employed a video recording frequency of 25 frames per second, a crucial technical detail that enabled him to successfully document such a rapid event. This is not the first time Binotto has documented an ELVE from his vantage point in Possagno; he previously recorded another event, triggered by a lightning strike near Ancona, on March 23, 2023.

The ELVE phenomenon was initially brought to scientific attention in the 1990s through photographs taken aboard a NASA space shuttle. Scientists confirm that ELVEs appear as rapidly expanding, disk-like flashes. Although they are generated by powerful electromagnetic pulses, these events pose no threat to people on the ground. Studying TLEs like ELVEs provides invaluable data for specialists seeking to better comprehend the complex interactions occurring between terrestrial weather systems and the ionosphere.