NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers captured a remarkable image of a rare weather phenomenon known as a sprite, triggered by intense electrical activity from thunderstorms below. The image depicts the bright red sprite resembling an upturned umbrella over a storm. Sprites, classified as Transient Luminous Events (TLEs), occur at altitudes of around 50 miles and often follow lightning strikes. Despite being first photographed in 1989, sprites remain poorly understood. NASA initiated a citizen science project named 'Spritacular' for collecting images of TLEs, enlisting over 800 volunteers to date.
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.
NASA launched a 'citizen science project,' dubbed 'Spritacular,' to crowdsource images of the TLEs. Over 800 volunteers have joined the effort, and 360 observations have been collected across 21 countries.
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