A Nasa astronaut has captured a stunning image of an electrical event where a brilliant red light flashed through the atmosphere.
Nichole ‘Vapor’ Ayers shared the photo of what is known as a Transient Luminous Event (TLE) seen above a thunderstorm over Mexico and the US earlier in the week.
It is thought the phenomenon was triggered by positive cloud-to-ground lightning strikes which produce an electric field that extends miles above a thunderstorm into the upper atmosphere.
Ms Ayers captioned the image: ‘Just. Wow. As we went over Mexico and the U.S. this morning, I caught this sprite.
‘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.’
The TLE appears mostly red in colour – most of the phenomena last only a fraction of a second and can rarely be seen unless you are orbiting some 250 miles above the Earth’s surface
Sprites are difficult to observe from the ground and it is still not known exactly why some lightning bolts trigger them while others do not
Ms Ayers (pictured) captioned the image: ‘Just. Wow. As we went over Mexico and the U.S. this morning, I caught this sprite’
There is some debate over whether Ms Ayers captured a sprite or what is known as a gigantic jet – both TLEs.
Gigantic jets start inside the anvil and reach through the cloud up to the ionosphere.
Sprites are difficult to observe from the ground and it is still not known exactly why some lightning bolts trigger them while others do not.
The striking TLE in Ms Ayers’ photo appears mostly red in colour – most of the phenomena last only a fraction of a second and can rarely be seen unless the observer is orbiting some 250 miles above the Earth’s surface.
Other forms of TLEs include elves, blue jets and ghosts – all of which occur well above the Earth’s surface in the stratosphere, mesophere and even the thermosphere.
The International Space Station photographed by Expedition 56 crew members from a Soyuz spacecraft after undocking in November 2018
Ayers is currently aboard the International Space Station as part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission
Ayers is currently aboard the International Space Station 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.
The purpose of the mission is to conduct hundreds of scientific experiments, including testing the flammability of material as well as studies examining physiological and psychological effects of space on the human body.
