A TV slit spectrograph was used to obtain the first optical spectra of
sprites. Twenty-five events were observed over a thunderstorm on the
border of Nebraska and Colorado on the night of 22 June, 1995 between
0700 and 0900 UT. For 10 of these events optical spectra were measured
in the wavelength range from 540 to 840 nm. After correcting for the
spectrograph response function, digitized spectrograph video images ar
e used to measure the wavelengths of and ratios between the emissions.
All emissions are found to be of the first positive bands of N-2. The
re is no evidence of the Meinel bands of N-2(+) indicating that the me
chanism responsible for sprites produces little or no ionization at 70
km altitude.