A storm chaser says he "screamed" when he captured an elusive natural phenomenon, known as red sprites, on video.

Speeding around the Earth at 28,000 km/h, NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers captured an incredible view of a phenomenon known as a red sprite. Here's the science behind this 'transient luminous event'.

Thunderstorms are known for their thunder and lightning, and can also be associated with winds and damaging hail. However, there is an additional feature that occasionally appears at the top of ...

Nichole 'Vapor' Ayers took the photo as the ISS passed over the US and Mexico on July 3, 2025. “Just. Wow,” Ayers posted to social media later that day along with the stunning picture. Just. Wow. As ...

Have you ever heard of—or even seen—red lightning? These are not animated characters but real atmospheric phenomena known as electrical discharges that occur high above thunderstorms. Scientists refer ...

Red sprites are formed due to large-scale electrical discharges generated high above thunderstorm clouds They are usually triggered by the discharges of positive lightning between an underlying ...

After years of describing red sprites as “rare” and “elusive,” astronauts on the International Space Station are out to prove me wrong. They photographed two entirely unrelated sprites above ...

Amazing new photos and video of the elusive red lightning called sprites are helping researchers understand how the mysterious electric bursts form. Sprites last less than a second as they dance on ...

Editor's note: Updated to include a second photo of another sprite captured moments later by the same camera (added at bottom of article). This gorgeous photo, captured from the International Space ...

Like a giant jellyfish floating through the atmosphere, "red sprites" hover above thunderstorms in two new photographs snapped from space. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) ...

Amazing new photos and video of the elusive red lightning called sprites are helping researchers understand how the mysterious electric bursts form. Sprites last less than a second as they dance on ...