"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."
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.
Read at Futurism
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