U.S. astronaut Nichole “Vapor” Ayers captured a spectacular view of a phenomenon often known as a “sprite” blazing to life above an intense thunderstorm — and he or she did this whereas orbiting 250 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth aboard the Worldwide Area Station (ISS).
“Sprites are TLEs or Transient Luminous Occasions, that occur above the clouds and are triggered by intense electrical exercise within the thunderstorms beneath,” wrote Ayers in an X publish showcasing the picture. “We now have an ideal view above the clouds, so scientists can use a majority of these footage to higher perceive the formation, traits, and relationship of TLEs to thunderstorms.”
Simply. Wow. As we went over Mexico and the U.S. this morning, I caught this sprite.Sprites are TLEs or Transient Luminous Occasions, that occur above the clouds and are triggered by intense electrical exercise within the thunderstorms beneath. We now have an ideal view above the clouds, so… pic.twitter.com/dCqIrn3vrAJuly 3, 2025
Vivid, multicolored sprites are among the many least understood and visually hanging electrical phenomena identified to manifest in Earth‘s higher ambiance throughout intense thunderstorm occasions. They sometimes happen roughly 50 miles (80 km) above the planet’s floor within the wake of highly effective lightning strikes, taking up an array of otherworldly shapes composed of advanced, tendril-like options and plumes of crimson mild, in keeping with NASA.
Even so, the big sprite Ayers managed to witness is a very spectacular specimen, seen rising excessive above lightning-lit clouds and treading into Earth’s higher ambiance above Mexico and the U.S. All of the whereas, the sprite seems to glow brightly alongside synthetic mild emanating from the cities beneath.
Over the previous few years, NASA has been engaged on the “Spritacular” citizen science venture, which asks members of the general public to contribute photographs of TLE sightings in an try to supply the scientific neighborhood with knowledge that can be utilized to decode the phenomenon.
These efforts at the moment are being bolstered by orbital footage of the spectacular occasions, together with by a number of astronauts aboard the ISS, who — like Ayers — have embraced pictures as a inventive outlet throughout their time on the station.
Many questions definitely persist surrounding the character of sprites, how and why they type and the way they work together with the encircling ambiance — however possibly they’re going to have some solutions quickly.
Editor’s Word: In the event you seize a picture of a sprite or TLE and need to share it with Area.com’s readers, then please ship your photograph(s), feedback, and your identify and placement to spacephotos@area.com.
