In a breathtaking display of Earth’s atmospheric wonders, an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has captured a red sprite a rare and elusive atmospheric phenomenon associated with powerful lightning storms hovering over North America. This remarkable event, recorded through a timelapse video, offers scientists and weather enthusiasts a rare glimpse of a sprite, contributing to NASA’s ongoing efforts to better understand these transient luminous events.
Red sprites, a lesser-known atmospheric phenomenon, occur far above the Earth’s surface in the mesosphere, a layer of the atmosphere located approximately 50 to 85 kilometers (31 to 53 miles) high. These ethereal, red-hued flashes of light are linked to large-scale thunderstorms, specifically to positively charged cloud-to-ground lightning strikes. Unlike regular lightning, which occurs lower in the atmosphere, sprites manifest high above in the mesosphere, sometimes appearing as jellyfish-like tendrils reaching down toward Earth.
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The ISS provides a unique vantage point for observing such phenomena, floating hundreds of kilometers above Earth, unobstructed by weather or light pollution. The astronaut responsible for this capture, a member of the Expedition 71 crew, used a Nikon Z9 digital camera with a 28-millimeter lens to snap a sequence of photographs. The images were then stitched together into a stunning timelapse video spanning 19 seconds, showcasing the dynamic weather below while capturing the rare sprite event above the U.S. Midwest and South.
Timelapse from Space: A View of Earth’s Dynamic Weather
The timelapse video takes viewers on a journey across thousands of miles of North America, beginning with northern Mexico and sweeping across the southern and midwestern United States. The journey ends as the ISS approaches the Great Lakes region and Western Canada. Along the way, flashes of lightning illuminate massive storm systems, providing a dazzling show of Earth’s weather from space.
Around 15 seconds into the video, the majestic red sprite makes its appearance, stretching across the sky to the right of the Canadarm2, the station’s robotic arm, which is visible as a dark, elongated feature in the center of the video. The sprite’s red tendrils, characteristic of a jellyfish sprite, glow vividly in contrast to the dark storm clouds and nighttime city lights below.
The photograph, officially labeled ISS071-E-234765, was acquired on June 26, 2024, during the timelapse sequence ISS071-230987-234857. The image was later cropped and enhanced by NASA to improve its contrast and clarity, removing lens artifacts to offer the best possible view of the phenomenon.
Understanding Sprites: NASA’s Spritacular Project
Sprites have long intrigued scientists due to their fleeting nature and difficulty in capturing on camera. These events, which last for only a few milliseconds, require precise timing and positioning to be documented. Observing sprites from Earth’s surface is even more challenging, as the sky needs to be clear of clouds, and the lightning storm generating the sprite must be visible in the distance.
From space, however, the ISS’s vantage point allows for unobstructed observation of these phenomena. To increase the chances of capturing sprites, astronauts set up cameras in the ISS’s Cupola a seven-windowed observation deck that offers panoramic views of Earth. Using short focal length lenses, like the 28-millimeter lens employed in this sequence, astronauts are able to capture wide fields of view, allowing for rapid sequential photography that is later stitched into a timelapse.
This particular observation is part of NASA’s Spritacular project, a citizen science initiative aimed at building a database of images and data on sprites and other transient luminous events (TLEs). The project invites amateur astronomers, photographers, and citizens to contribute by capturing sprite sightings from Earth. By compiling and analyzing these images, NASA hopes to deepen our understanding of the physical mechanisms behind sprites and their relationship with thunderstorms.
Science of Red Sprites: How They Form
Red sprites occur when positively charged lightning interacts with the nitrogen in Earth’s upper atmosphere, creating an electrical breakdown that produces a burst of red light. This interaction often happens at the top of large thunderstorm systems, where strong cloud-to-ground lightning strikes cause a discharge far above the storm clouds. Unlike typical lightning, which is common at lower altitudes, sprites are distinctly different in both appearance and formation.
The flashes of red light are accompanied by delicate tendrils, known as jellyfish sprites, which spread downward toward the thunderstorm below. The sprite captured in the ISS timelapse is a prime example of this form, with red tendrils visible as the phenomenon unfolds above the storm system.
Sprites are just one of several types of TLEs, which include blue jets, elves, and goblins other atmospheric phenomena associated with thunderstorms. Each of these events provides valuable data to scientists studying the complex interactions between Earth’s weather systems and its upper atmosphere.
Global Effort to Study Sprites
NASA’s study of sprites is a collaborative effort involving multiple scientific institutions and researchers worldwide. By observing sprites from the ISS and other vantage points, scientists aim to better understand how these phenomena relate to broader atmospheric processes, including climate patterns, storm intensity, and lightning behavior.
The images and data captured from space have already contributed significantly to the field of atmospheric science, allowing researchers to analyze sprites and other TLEs in ways that were previously impossible from Earth alone. The data also have practical applications, helping to improve our understanding of how thunderstorms and lightning impact communication systems, aviation, and even space weather.
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