Rare Red Sprite Seen From Space
- Editor OGN Daily
- Jul 8
- 2 min read
NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers, currently stationed on board the International Space Station, shared a spectacular image of a sprite.
This remarkable and rare weather phenomenon is triggered high above the clouds by "intense electrical activity in the thunderstorms below." The image shows the rare electrical discharge in the shape of a starkly red, upended umbrella, hovering high over a brewing storm, like some sort of weirdly magnificent tower from Lord of the Rings.
"Just. Wow," Ayers tweeted. "As we went over Mexico and the US this morning, I caught this sprite."
The ISS is 254 miles up as it orbits the Earth (travelling at 17,500 mph), so Ayers has a unique vantage point to watch the stunning event unfold and capture this stunning image. "We have a great view above the clouds, so scientists can use these types of pictures to better understand the formation, characteristics, and relationship of [Transient Luminous Events] to thunderstorms."
According to NASA, sprites can appear at altitudes of around 50 miles, which is far higher than where thunderstorms form. They often appear mere moments after lightning strikes, forming spiny tendrils of red plumes. The otherworldly phenomenon, which was first officially observed in 1989 photographs, is still poorly understood. Scientists have yet to uncover how and why they form.
Another type of Transient Luminous Event are elves, an acronym for "emission of light and very low frequency perturbations due to electromagnetic pulse sources," and jets, a type of cloud-to-air discharge that can appear as blue tendrils.
