Sprites

Something that can never be truly understood is always a source of extreme fascination. And although mankind has reached an apex in the world of technology, we still do not have a complex understanding of the world around us.
On our beloved planet earth, we can see such an inexplicable phenomenon. High above the clouds, there is lightning which does not shoot down, but rather, it shoots towards the heavens.
Often a subject of controversial speculation, this type of “inverted weather” is called a “sprite” by scientists and the slang term “space angel” by others. These names are given due to the abnormal distribution of the Sprites which can often resemble wings and a torso or octopus tentacles.
In more modern times, it is very easy to dismiss these bizarre occurrences as what scientist can only claim to be the reason behind these occurrences. This, of course, is attributed to a negative charge in clouds below a point of intense friction in the atmosphere. Basically that is saying that lightning, like a magnet, can be both shot out and above a cloud based on its charge (kind of like how two positive magnets will push each other).
This conclusion, although possible, cannot explain why sprites occur in cloudless environments. If the above stated reasoning were true, then scientist are claiming that there are invisible barriers in the atmosphere that can hold charges (which would also make interdimensional coexistence possible). For this reason, sprites cannot be easily explained.
Sprites became a subject of extreme controversy during the cold war. In more than one situation, images of these lightning strikes were taken and claimed to be alien spaceships. One very famous situation came with a report from military personnel claiming “something was extracting energy from the sky”.
Then what are sprites exactly? Is there any reasonable explanation for the occurrence of sprites? Do sprites follow the very fundamental principles of physics we claim to understand?
All of these questions cannot be answered so easily, which leaves us uneasy and slightly curious.