Bright sprites, or short-lived light phenomena, sparkle above the clouds in video captured by NASA astronaut Don Pettit aboard the ISS. (Image credit: Don Pettit/NASA)
NASA astronaut Don Pettit captured fascinating video of a rare atmospheric phenomenon from his position high above the Earth on the International Space Station.
While the ISS was orbiting South America, Pettit captured a phenomenon known as transient luminous events (TLEs). These bright, colorful flashes of light occur faster than lightning and are sometimes called “sprites.”
Pettit was able to observe the sprites from above, looking down at an area known as the nadir, the point directly below a specific location. “This is truly something out of the ordinary and satisfies your inner Uber-Geek,” Pettit wrote on X (formerly Twitter), accompanying the video. “Nadir view of transient luminous events (TLEs) or upper atmospheric lightning.”
Okay, this one is a little unusual and will satisfy your inner Uber-Geek. An overhead view of transient luminous events (TLEs), or lightning in the upper atmosphere. This real-time clip lasts about 6 seconds over the Amazon Basin and shows a range of TLE manifestations from sprites to blue jets of… pic.twitter.com/IE0Edtm2RlApril 3, 2025
The video captured about six seconds of sprites over the Amazon basin. And it's not the first time such phenomena have been captured on camera from the ISS.
In 2024, NASA astronaut Matthew Dominik caught a glimpse of one of the most elusive atmospheric phenomena known as red sprites. They appear during particularly strong thunderstorms and rise up into the atmosphere, unlike normal lightning, which shoots down toward the ground.
A unique red sprite captured from the International Space Station was posted to X (formerly Twitter) on June 20, 2024, showing an event that occurred earlier this year.
Sprites like the ones Pettit captured on video occur well above normal lightning. Their name is an acronym for stratospheric disturbances, which are caused by intense thunderstorm electrification.
Sprites are formed when electrical discharges caused by lightning shoot upward, creating bursts of plasma in the ionosphere, which is about 50 miles (80 km) above the Earth's surface. They were first captured on camera in 1989.
Originally published on Space.com.
TOPICS lightning international space station Brett TingleySocial Links NavigationEditor, Space.com
Brett is a science and technology journalist with an interest in new concepts in spaceflight and astronautics, alternative launch methods, anti-satellite technologies, and unmanned systems. Brett's work has appeared in The War Zone on TheDrive.com, Popular Science, the History Channel, Science Discovery, and more. Brett holds degrees in English from Clemson University and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In his spare time, Brett is a working musician, amateur electrical engineer and cosplayer, an avid LEGO fan, and enjoys spending time outdoors and hiking in the Appalachian Mountains with his wife and two children.
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