News > Astronaut's photo shows a rare 'sprite' in Earth's atmosphere caused by lightning shooting up toward space

Astronaut's photo shows a rare 'sprite' in Earth's atmosphere caused by lightning shooting up toward space

12/10/2021 08:46 PM | Click to read full article

An astronaut onboard the International Space Station has captured a rare image of a red "sprite" above Europe while recording a timelapse from space. The picture, which was taken on September 9, is a "very rare occurrence."

That is because these red flashes are only visible for a few milliseconds, per NASA. Because their pictures are so rare, very little is known about sprites, the European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen said in 2016.

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