&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "200km rare red halo seen over small Italian town for a second time. It was ELVEs")
Two years ago, when residents of a small Italian town watched a mysterious halo of red light in the skies, no one could explain it. Now the same phenomenon has returned and was seen once again on November 17. The ring was seen floating above Possagno, located in the foothills of the Italian Alps. Photographer Valter Binotto took a photo of the UFO-like structure in 2025 after capturing it in his lens in 2023 as well. It measured approximately 200 kilometres across and was around 100 kilometres above the ground. While some might quickly link it to extraterrestrial forces, Binotto has a perfect explanation. He says the halo is what is called ELVEs, a rare lightning–related phenomenon. It is so rare that NASA did not spot one until 1990. So to see it in the same location twice is somewhat of an atmospheric miracle.
How are ELVEs, the red halo seen in Italy, formed?
ELVEs, or "emission of light and very low–frequency perturbations due to electromagnetic pulse sources", are formed because of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP). When extremely powerful lightning bolts shoot EMP through the upper atmosphere, they clash with a part of the ionosphere, located 80–644 kilometres above the ground. The electromagnetic radiation excites charged particles of nitrogen, triggering the red halo glow. Scientists say this is similar to how solar particles create auroras following a collision with Earth's magnetic field.
Why did Possagno have two rare red halos?
Witnessing the rare phenomenon twice in Possagno has nothing to do with anything special being present there. ELVEs spread for several kilometres and at high altitude. So a strike in one place means they will be visible from hundreds of kilometres away also. The latest one was from a storm above Ancona, 280 kilometres away. The one in 2023 originated 300 kilometres away in Vernazza.
Photographing ELVEs is not easy since the halo only lasts for one thousandth of a second. Binotto says he sets up his camera and hits record as soon as the conditions are right. The camera is set up to capture extremely high–framerate videos. He later scans through and chooses the frames in which the ELVEs can be seen.
