Ever gazed up at a thunderstorm and wondered what's happening above the clouds? Well, imagine witnessing nature's most spectacular light show from space! That's precisely what astronauts are capturing, and the images are absolutely breathtaking.
In 2025, NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers, cruising at hypersonic speed 400 km above Earth, witnessed a colossal spark. It was a stunning display of blue flashes and red tendrils reaching skyward. This electric spectacle originated from a summer thunderstorm. What she saw is a rare example of Transient Luminous Events (TLEs), atmospheric phenomena typically hidden from our view because they occur above the clouds, between 40 and 80 kilometers high.
The image captured a blue jet shooting into space, heading towards the upper atmosphere. This beam of light was followed by red flashes, spreading like tentacles. The entire magnificent event? It lasted less than a second!
A decade earlier, ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen captured the first pulsating blue jet from space, offering a fresh perspective on the electrical activity atop thunderstorms. This opened up a new avenue for scientists to study what cloud types trigger these events and how they might affect the atmosphere's chemistry.
These weren't isolated incidents. In 2024, NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps aimed a high-resolution camera from the International Space Station at a thunderstorm over Australia. Using the fastest frame rate for slow-motion video, she recorded a pulsating giant jet with blue and red bursts in all its glory from space.
And this is the part most people miss... This recording is part of the Thor-Davis experiment, designed to investigate lightning in the upper atmosphere and its impact on greenhouse gas concentrations. The experiment, named after the Norse god of thunder, lightning, and storms, is led by the Danish Technical University (DTU) in collaboration with the European Space Agency.
Lightning triggers powerful electrical bursts in our atmosphere almost every second. But here's where it gets controversial... Despite this constant activity, the inner workings of these natural forces remain largely a mystery. Capturing these phenomena is crucial for scientists studying Earth's weather systems.
What do you think about the idea of studying lightning from space? Do you find it as fascinating as I do? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
