NASA Astronaut Spots Rare 'Sprite' Lightning From Space Station Over US and Mexico; Stunning Picture Goes Viral

NASA astronaut named Nichole Ayers, stationed at International space station captured a rare and stunning image of a lightning phenomenon, 'sprite' often known as Transient Luminous Events. Ayers spotted this rare lightning above a thunderstorm over Mexico and the Desert Southwest earlier in the week.

Ayers who goes by the name Nichole "Vapor" Ayers on X shared the stunning image on the social media platform. She said, "Just. Wow. As we went over Mexico and the U.S. this morning, I caught this sprite." The post has gone over 2 million views.

Checkout The Image Here:

What Are Sprites or Transient Luminous Events?

As explained by Ayers in the post Sprites are TLEs or Transient Luminous Events. She wrote, "Sprites are TLEs or Transient Luminous Events, that happen above the clouds and are triggered by intense electrical activity in the thunderstorms below. We have a great view above the clouds, so scientists can use these types of pictures to better understand the formation, characteristics, and relationship of TLEs to thunderstorms."

According to NOAA, sprites are triggered by positive cloud-to-ground lightning strikes, which produce an electric field that extends miles above a thunderstorm into the upper atmosphere. This phenomenon appears mostly red in color, lasts only a fraction of a second and occurs high up in the atmosphere.

Ayers is currently stationed aboard the ISS as part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission, which launched in March and is expected to remain in outer space through at least August.