Astronaut captures stunning pillar of light bolting into Earth from space

A stunning photograph captured from the International Space Station offers scientists and sky enthusiasts a unique glimpse of one of Earth’s most elusive weather occurrences: a sprite lightning bolt.

The image, captured as the spacecraft flew over Mexico and the U.S. this morning, depicts a vivid red flash—termed a sprite—lighting up the high atmosphere above a thunderstorm. Sprites are a form of Transient Luminous Event (TLE), enigmatic bursts of light that happen high above storm clouds. In contrast to typical lightning that occurs between clouds or from clouds to the ground, sprites emerge in the sparse atmosphere of the mesosphere, usually manifesting as red, jellyfish-like bursts or columns.

Intense electrical activity in the thunderstorms below triggers them.

From their distinct perspective in orbit, astronauts have a clear, unblocked view of these transitory occurrences—something seldom achievable from the surface, where clouds and weather frequently obstruct the sight.

The image is already sparking enthusiasm among researchers in atmospheric science. Sprites are among the most poorly comprehended forms of lightning, and visuals like this assist researchers in investigating their formation and significance in Earth’s upper atmosphere. A comparable phenomenon was observed a few years ago above the Himalayas, as hobbyist photographers documented the breathtaking occurrence over the Tibetan Plateau. A recently published research paper outlined the image.

Researchers discovered that these sprites resulted from intense lightning bolts that descended to the Earth’s surface from the upper portions of clouds. These strikes originated from a large thunderstorm system known as a mesoscale convective complex, which spanned more than 200,000 square kilometres from the Ganges Plain to the Tibetan Plateau.

With the increasing frequency of space-based observations, specialists anticipate that additional images like this will reveal insights into the mysteries of Earth’s most intense weather phenomena, serving as a reminder that our planet continues to astonish even from afar.