Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) have taken amazing photos of bright flashes above Earth’s storms. These flashes are called red sprites and other transient luminous events. They happen very high in the sky, above thunderclouds, and last only a short time.
Most people see lightning during storms. However, some exciting electrical events happen much higher up in the atmosphere. These events can look very different and appear in various colours. Scientists call them Transient Luminous Events (TLEs).
NASA says these flashes can be seen as high as 55 miles or 90 kilometres above Earth. Red sprites can look like upside-down jellyfish. One photo shows a large sprite over a storm near the Texas-Mexico border.
The Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM) on the ISS helps scientists study these flashes. It uses special cameras to see very brief electrical events. Researchers hope to learn more about how lightning affects the upper atmosphere. They are also studying terrestrial gamma-ray flashes, which are bursts of radiation linked to lightning.
