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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

#RedSprites over severe #thunderstorms at W Greece, as captured from #Athens with specialized light pollution filter. Over 70 were recorded in total. 8 Oct 2026

Red sprites in the night sky, over the cityscape of NW Athens and mt. Pikilo.

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

A small "break" with yesterday's #sunset accompanied by a #parhelion and a faint #pillar

Twilight with a boat on the sea surface and colorful clouds with mountains on the background

Cloudy sunset over the sea surface with the reflection of the sunlight on the sea and a parhelion on the left side.

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Around 20 #red #sprites occurred at ~00-01 UTC, 22 Sep. 2026 over the northern #Aegean Sea close to #Lemnos isl. Four of these events follow, as they were captured from the eastern coast of Attica.

Red sprites through clouds over seascape and the mountains of Evia isl.

Red sprites in a cloudy and starry sky. The horizontal lines in front of the sprites are thin clouds

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Data from Global Meteor Network confirms that in this year's peak of #Perseids there were more meteors and more bright ones

Graph showing the peak of Perseid meteor shower activity for 2026

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

#Perseids 2026 were by far the best since 2016 outburst. There was an increased number of #fireballs, as well as periods with 3, 4, even 6 #meteors within a few seconds. Best period: from twilight till midnight. Shots from cape #Sounion #Attica #Greece night of 12 Aug. Circular fisheye is 4.5 mm...

Large meteor (fireball) near Milky way over seascape with some ships and a small island full of wind turbines

Bright meteor with very long trail as shot by a circular fisheye lens with f.length of 4.5 mm

Bright meteor which flashed like a lightning and its ionization train lasted at least for 1'. Shot with a circular fisheye lens of f.length 4.5 mm

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Brief non-tornadic #supercell with lots of CGs, #hail and severe wind gusts over #Athens today (Jul 24).

CG lightning, the city (bottom), clouds (top), thunderstorm coming in

Parthenon and Acropolis with southern Athens and CG lightning at the sea

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

From #dusk till #dawn, #Sounion, 17-18 Jul. 2026. An astro-break much needed. Next stop: Perseids (on a new moon this year 😍)

Just after sunset, the sea (below left), some terrain, hills and rocks on the right and the sky above. Looking westwards from Sounion

Scorpius constellation over the sea. An island far away at the center of the photo. Looking southwards from Sounion

A green meteor could have left its reflection on the sea surface, as it was close to the horizon, if it wasn't for this moving Betelgeuse's supernova simulation. Actually, this is a fisherman's boat (yeah...) and the light curves all around it are several dozens of seagulls following it. I must admit that after several facepalms (with both hands), it wasn't that awful, thanks to the light painting of the seagulls mostly.

Colors of dawn, looking northeastwards from the hill near cape Sounion. Some clouds in the sky, the sea below, Makronisos isl. far away in the center, part of east Attica below, on the left side.

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Two more #thunderstorms today (17 June). Some #lightning shots and a #circumzenithal arc for a peaceful ending

The southern part of Athens, Greece, with 2 lightning bolts and cloudy sky at noon

The western part of Athens, Greece, with lightning, rain shaft and cloudy sky at noon

The western part of Athens, Greece, with a triple lightning, rain shaft and cloudy sky at noon

A circumzenithal arc among clouds. Looks like a rainbow with the sunlight coming from below.

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

Short-lived #iridescent #contrail this #afternoon. This occurs as a result of #diffraction of the #sunlight from the microscopic #ice crystals in the contrail, when the latter has an angular separation of ~10-30 deg. (here ~20) from the light source (here the Sun).

iridescent contrail in the sky and a zoomed-in version of it on the top right

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

Inside the 22 deg. #halo, there is a smaller 9 deg. halo which is rare. This indicates the existence of #pyramidoidal ice #crystals within the thin #cirrus #cloud layer. These crystals allow for 9 deg. deviation of the #light path with respect to the initial course thus creating this rare beauty.

Wide angle photo of the sky with a contrail, the sun, thin cirrus clouds, some dusty atmosphere and 2 halos forming concentric circles around the Sun

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

#Solar #corona, today over #Athens, GR. An #atmospheric #optical phenomenon, which is the result of #diffraction of #light through the tiny droplets or ice crystals of semi-transparent #cloud layer (usually #alto clouds like the ones in the photo).

The sky with colorful concentric circles around the Sun and a thin white milky cloud layer everywhere

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

After several days with overcast+dust, I finally had the chance to capture #comet #PanSTARRS C/2025 R3 on Sunday morning (19 Apr). The temporal obs. "window" was small (10-15') before twilight becomes too bright. iOptron skytracker used. Exp. time 5x1'. Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 + Sigma Art 14 mm f/1.8

Comet PanSTARRS in black and white with the starry sky as background

Comet PanSTARRS in color with the starry sky as background

Comet PanSTARRS zoomed in with a Tamron lens at 135 mm (x1.6 crop factor), with the starry sky as background

Comet PanSTARRS on the twilight starry sky. A wide field photo in order to have a perception of its extent (together with its tail). On the top left, there are previous photos in color and black&white version

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

A "supercell" of #dust. Yesterday's #sky over #Athens as another African dust transfer was at its peak. Crete and Cyclades were heavily impacted.

The southern parts of Athens with Acropolis and Parthenon almost at the center. The sky above the city is full of clouds as a thunderstorm is ongoing but the dark red-brown hue is due to an African dust transfer.

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

And its "aftermath", close to Athens, GR, this morning

A parked car covered with dusty rain drops

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 22/02/2026

2 #waterspouts at 1530 and 1700 local time and a #funnel cloud over land at 1320 (with possible brief touch down, not confirmed), near #Athens intl. airport and E. Attica, yesterday. #Thunderstorm also in the city with lots of #hail at the southern suburbs.

Waterspout near E. Attica, 17:00 local time (UTC+2), 21/2/2026, photo by Ilias Papaioannou

Funnel cloud with possible touch down at 13:15 local time, 21/2/2026, near Athens intl. airport. Photo by Dimitris Michail

Waterspout near E. Attica, 15:30 local time, 21/2/2026, photo by Panagiotis Christou

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 15/02/2026

#SaharanDust #AfricanDust #Dust in #Athens GR today, from 06-11 UTC/08-13 EET. This used to happen during late Spring. Now, we can have it on any month and the intensity as well as the frequency rises.

6 photos showing the gradual increase (from 08 till 13 local time) in dust concentration over Athens, as seen from mt. Penteli on the 15th of Feb., 2026 - Source: https://www.meteo.gr/camerasmain.cfm

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

#Thunderstorms some hours ago, from E. Attica, Greece, looking east towards Evia isl.

GC lightning from a mountain on Evia isl. at night. Sea on the foreground.

Thunderstorm at night over the sea with some tree branches on the foreground

GC lightning stemming from wind turbines on top of the mountains of Evia isl. at night. Sea on the foreground.

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

This is a #map with spots of successful observations from Greek-based observers, of the #aurora on Jan. 19, 2026. At least 10 people have photos from that night 🤩 #geomagnetic #storm

A map with spots of successful observations of the aurora on Jan. 19, 2026 from Greek-based observers. Also, there is a grey area on the map, pointing out where cloud coverage was significant thus making aurora observation not possible.

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

My first #red #sprites capture for 2026, over the #thunderstorms at #Lesvos isl., E Aegean Sea, some hours ago ⚡ PS. You can always check our paper on observations of #TLEs from Greek-based observers: www.mdpi.com/2673-4931/26...

red sprites at night, on a starry sky with clouds and the flash of the parent lightning below. At the bottom one can observe the mountains of Evia isl. The observer is on E. Attica, Greece, looking eastwards.

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

Upward #streamer (or unconnected upward leader) on the right side of the #lightning bolt, during the #thunderstorms on the 4th of Dec, over #Athens, GR.

An upward unconnected leader (or upward streamer) is a positively charged channel of ionized air that rises from ground objects (like buildings, towers, trees or even the ground itself) towards a negatively charged downward-moving "stepped leader" from a storm cloud. When an upward leader "connects" with a downward leader, the lightning bolt we see occurs. It is possible to catch (in a photo) one or some of the upward leaders who "didn't make it" to connect with the downward one.

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

#Thunderstorms and #red #sprites. Night of Nov. 28-29, 2025 from E. Attica looking towards Evia isl. and the Aegean Sea. #StormHour @stormhour.com

Thundercloud and lightning at night over NE Attica

Thunderstorm at night with lightning bolt over the sea

Red Sprites with clouds underneath and starry sky on the background

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

Noon of Nov. 10: #thunderstorm with photogenic #shelf cloud over #Athens. Night of Nov. 10: more #storms and red #sprites at E. Attica and over the #Aegean Sea. I wouldn't say "no" to a possible aurora night tonight ;)

Night thunderstorm with cloud to air lightning pointing to Orion const. The moon is at the top left corner of the stormcloud

"Jellyfish" sprite from the thunderstorms over the Aegean Sea on Nov. 11 early morning.

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

Tonight (27-28 Oct.), #TLE party with red #sprites over #thunderstorms at the Aegean Sea and W Turkey. This is just a taste from an 8 hour session. #StormHour @stormhour.com

Nightscape with big red sprites ("Jellyfish" sprites) and the mountains of Evia isl. below.

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 26/10/2025

Dusk-to-dawn 24-25.10.2025. Cape #Sounion. Lots of clouds still for the comet though. It's the 3rd consecutive week (yes, the thing that carries 7 days with it) that it's not possible to shoot it. Tell me about "sunny Greece" blah blah blah... 🤪 I just want 1 (one) clear night.

A 4mm circular fisheye Sigma lens capture of the sky over Sounion, Attica, Greece, Bortle level 3, with some of the main features denoted.

Dawn of 25.10.2025, with Venus to the left of the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion. Beautiful colors just before sunrise.

After sunset of 24.10.2025, with rough sea and some clouds at Sounion. Some crepuscular rays visible on the sky.

Zodiacal light prevails 1.5 hour before sunrise, over the (very bad lighting of the) Temple of Poseidon. Easily visible with naked eye. Jupiter is the bright dot on the upper part of the photo.

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

#Thunderstorm and some #lightning captures just south of cape Sounion, S. Attica, Greece, last night (Oct. 20). #StormHour @stormhour.com

Lightning over the sea, during a thunderstorm, last night

Lightning over the sea, during a thunderstorm, last night. Some wind turbines are visible on a small island.

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

Red Sprites over the thunderstorms at Kefalonia isl. this early morning.Also a (Draconid) green meteor photobomb 😅 I had (almost) full moon in front of me (out of the frame, to the upper left). Red color is due to light pollution filter system I use. Our paper on TLEs: www.mdpi.com/2673-4931/26...

Red Sprites over thunderstorms at Kefalonia isl.

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 09/09/2025

Some moments from the total #lunar #eclipse on the 7th of Sep. 2025, from #Athens #Greece. Blue ozone band just before totality, long exposure with star and eclipsed #red #moon trails and bonus: anti-crepuscular rays converging on the antisolar point (anthelion), just before #moonrise.

Blue ozone band on the moon's surface, just before entering the total eclipse phase. The rest of the moon is dark red.

Anti-crepuscular rays created from stormclouds on the west horizon during sunset. These converge on the anti-solar point (anthelion) over mountain Imittos in Athens.

Long exposure during total eclipse phase. Startrails and eclipsed red moon trails can be seen. Mt. Imittos with cartrails below and under it there is a part of the eastern side of Athens.

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

#Red #Sprites tonight, over the severe #thunderstorms at NW. #Greece as seen from #Athens. (Red sprites are rare cold plasma electrical discharges occuring over thunderstorms under conditions). PS. You can always check our paper about observations of #TLEs from Greece: www.mdpi.com/2673-4931/26...

Red sprites over severe thunderstorms at NW Greece, as seen from Athens. Red filter used in order to cut light pollution below 630 nm, that's why the photo appears a bit more reddish than normal.

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

Well, during the disastrous summer of 2021, it was close enough! This shot is from my home...

PyroCumulus cloud over Athens, during the megafires of summer 2021

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

#Red #Sprites a while ago, over the #thunderstorms at W. #Greece, as seen from #Athens. (Red sprites are rare cold plasma electrical discharges occuring over thunderstorms under conditions). PS. You can check our paper about observations of TLEs from Greece: www.mdpi.com/2673-4931/26...

Red Sprites over thunderstorms at W. Greece, as seen from Athens

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

Before the first sunrise of August 2025. Cape #Sounion, Attica, Greece with Pleiades, Orion, Taurus, Gemini, Venus and Jupiter having an astro-party @stormhour.com @photohour.bsky.social #StormHour #PhotoHour

Orion, Taurus, Pleiades, Gemini, Venus, Jupiter during blue hour, just before sunrise, over the Temple of Poseidon, Sounion, Attica, Greece, 01.08.2025.

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Christos Doudoulakis, PhD @csath.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

The smoke from the fires in Canada, reached us here as well. It's not the first time, but it's always astonishing to see how much it travels when it enters the atmospheric circulation 😳

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