The night sky over the Italian Alps is no stranger to wonder, from the shimmering dance of the Milky Way to the fleeting streak of a meteor. But on the night of November 17, 2025, the heavens staged a performance so brief and bizarre that few could ever hope to see it with the naked eye. It was a performance captured in a single, spectacular millisecond by an astrophotographer's lens: a vast, crimson halo, an otherworldly donut of light hanging in the upper atmosphere.
The image, which has since sent ripples of excitement through the meteorological and space-watching communities, was captured by Valter Binotto, a photographer whose patience and skill are as sharp as his camera lens. The photograph shows an immense, perfectly circular red ring, looking less like a weather phenomenon and more like a sci-fi special effect, emblazoned against the starry backdrop.
Unveiling the Celestial Spectacle
At first glance, it’s easy to let the imagination run wild. Yet, before theories of UFOs or secret experiments can take flight, the science behind this event is both fascinating and entirely natural. This mysterious red halo is not an alien signal, but a documented—though exceptionally elusive—atmospheric occurrence known as an ELVE.
Short for Emission of Light and Very Low Frequency Perturbations due to Electromagnetic Pulse Sources, an ELVE is a type of Transient Luminous Event (TLE). Think of them as the ghosts of incredibly powerful lightning strikes, manifesting far above the storms that birth them.
The Science Behind the Scarlet Ring
So, how does a lightning bolt create a red halo nearly 100 kilometers high? According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), ELVEs are triggered by the most powerful positive lightning strikes. These bolts don't shoot down to the ground; instead, they carry a massive positive charge from the cloud tops upward.
This sudden, colossal surge of energy generates an intense electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that races outward at the speed of light. When this pulse hits the lower regions of the ionosphere, it violently excites the electrons in the thin air, causing them to emit a brief, red glow. The result is the expansive, donut-shaped ring we see in Binotto's photograph.
Detailing the specific event, Binotto noted that this particular red halo was the product of a "very powerful negative lightning strike," and the halo appeared the moment the resulting electromagnetic pulse touched that specific region of the atmosphere.
Capturing a Millisecond Marvel
The ephemeral nature of ELVEs is what makes them so difficult to document. They typically last for less than a millisecond—far quicker than the human eye can perceive. Capturing one requires not only being in the right place at the right time but also having equipment set up to record the event.
Binotto’s success was no accident. Located an astonishing 300 kilometers away from the thunderstorm that generated the phenomenon, he used a sensitive Sony A7S camera paired with a 20mm f/1.8 lens. This considerable distance was crucial, as it allowed him to see above the storm clouds and gaze directly at the section of the ionosphere where the ELVE would appear.
For further details and context on this incredible atmospheric event, you can view the original report on SpaceWeather.com.
This is not even Binotto's first time capturing such a rarity. Back in 2023, he successfully photographed another red halo under similar circumstances, proving that his initial capture was no mere fluke but the result of dedicated expertise.
His work provides a stunning visual record of one of our atmosphere's most fleeting and dramatic phenomena, a reminder that even in an age of advanced science, the sky above still holds magnificent secrets, visible only to those who know how to look.