Astronaut Photographs Elusive Red Sprite From Space, Boosting Atmospheric Research

Astronaut Captures Elusive Red Sprite from Space, Aiding Atmospheric Research

While orbiting above North America, NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers photographed a rare and stunning atmospheric phenomenon: a red sprite. This Transient Luminous Event (TLE) appeared as a fleeting burst of red light high above thunderstorms over Mexico and the United States.

Sprites, a type of TLE, are brief flashes of red light that occur high above powerful thunderstorms. These massive bursts of electrical energy can reach altitudes of up to 100 kilometers above the Earth's surface. Unlike typical lightning, they consist of "cold plasma," similar to the glow inside a fluorescent light tube.

The high altitude and short duration of sprites make them rarely visible from the ground. This makes Ayers' space-based capture particularly significant.

Sharing the image on social media, Ayers exclaimed, "Just. Wow. As we went over Mexico and the U.S. this morning, I caught this sprite."

She further explained, "Sprites are TLEs or Transient Luminous Events that happen above the clouds and are triggered by intense electrical activity in the thunderstorms below."

Sprites have captivated scientists and pilots for decades. These jellyfish-shaped flashes shoot upward into the atmosphere and vanish in milliseconds. Though pilots had reported seeing them for nearly a century, many scientists dismissed them as myths or optical illusions until 1989, when the first clear image of a sprite was accidentally captured on camera.

NASA explains that sprites occur when strong lightning discharges interact with Earth’s ionosphere. The reddish glow is produced when the discharge travels upward and collides with nitrogen molecules. Sprites are part of a larger group of upper-atmosphere phenomena, including blue jets and red elves.

The image sparked amazement and curiosity online. One user commented, "Sprite.... one of the rarest of rare celestial phenomenon.”

Another asked, “How long do the sprites last? Is this a still shot taken from a video? What altitude did this one reach? The more we find out, it becomes obvious we know far less than we thought.”