A “sprite” over Mexico as seen from the Worldwide Area Station on July 3, 2025 by astronaut … Extra Nicole Ayers.Nicole Ayers/NASA/ISS
An astronaut on the Worldwide Area Station has captured a uncommon sort of lightning known as a sprite whereas touring 250 miles above the Texas–Mexico border. Known as “area lightning” and in comparison with a jellyfish in form, the uncommon climate phenomenon was captured on digicam by NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers.
The uncommon picture was taken on July 3 by pilot Nichole Ayers, who launched to the ISS on March 14, 2025, as a part of the SpaceX Crew-10 mission. It reveals an ethereal crimson jellyfish-like flash taking pictures from the tops of clouds and into area. It’s often called a “pink sprite,” but additionally as a transient luminous occasion, lightning in Earth’s higher ambiance. In response to NASA, these colourful, shiny, faster-than-lightning flashes are generated above the clouds by thunderstorms.
Ayers’ Rationalization Of The ‘Sprite’
“Simply. Wow. As we went over Mexico and the U.S. this morning, I caught this sprite,” wrote Ayers on X/Twitter. “Sprites are TLEs or Transient Luminous Occasions that occur above the clouds and are triggered by intense electrical exercise within the thunderstorms under. We have now a fantastic view above the clouds, so scientists can use a lot of these photos to higher perceive the formation, traits, and relationship of TLEs to thunderstorms.” In a later message, she acknowledged that it was a big jet, one other kind of TLE. “So cool to be taught as we go up right here,” she wrote.
The picture additionally reveals the glow of Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Houston to the northeast, with Torreón, Mexico, to the southwest. “Our hearts exit to the households affected by the flooding within the Texas Hill Nation this weekend,” added Ayers.
A “sprite” over Mexico as seen from the Worldwide Area Station on July 3, 2025 by astronaut … Extra Nicole Ayers.Nicole Ayers/NASA/ISS
How The Picture Was Taken
The ISS is one of the best commentary level humankind has for monitoring Earth at evening however photographing lightning takes an enormous quantity of endurance and trial and error. Astronauts on the ISS take pictures from the Cupola (Italian for dome), an observatory module that has seven home windows and permits images of Earth. Ayers took the shot utilizing a Nikon Z9 and a 50mm lens as a part of a time-lapse venture throughout which she took a number of photographs. “To document a photograph like this takes ability to arrange the digicam however greater than that, the data of what lightning techniques are prone to create sprites and the willingness to take 2000-5000 photographs the place just one will document a sprite,” wrote NASA astronaut and astrophotographer Don Pettit on X/Twitter, who arrived again from the ISS on April 19. “Kudos to Nicole for her imagery efforts!”The Moon’s shadow, or umbra, is pictured overlaying parts of the Canadian provinces of Quebec and … Extra New Brunswick and the American state of Maine on this {photograph} from the Worldwide Area Station because it soared into the photo voltaic eclipse from 261 miles above.NASA
The ISS And The ‘Nice North American Eclipse’
Maybe essentially the most extensively seen photographs taken from the ISS have been these of the whole photo voltaic eclipse on April 8, 2024. NASA flight engineers Matthew Dominick and Jeanette Epps captured distinctive views of the moon’s shadow over a part of Maine, U.S. and Quebec and New Brunswick, Canada. For the photographs, NASA rigorously adjusted the altitude of the orbiting laboratory for months, main as much as the ultimate complete photo voltaic eclipse within the contiguous U.S. till 2044.
Wishing you clear skies and extensive eyes.
