NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore has captured a jaw-dropping image of a rare blue jet-sprite from aboard the International Space Station (ISS), giving space fans a stunning glimpse at one of Earth’s most mysterious atmospheric phenomena.
The incredible shot was shared by fellow astronaut and astrophotographer Don Pettit, who posted it on the below Reddit thread, crediting Wilmore for the rare capture.
Pettit explained: “Here is a blue jet-sprite photographed by my crewmate Butch Wilmore in a timelapse sequence”
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“Blue jets and sprites are terms that are rather loosely applied to what I like to call ‘upward directed lightning’ (UDL). This is a rather new elusive atmospheric phenomena now extensively captured by digital cameras but still not fully understood.”
Unlike regular lightning, which strikes downward towards the Earth, blue jets and red sprites shoot upwards from the tops of thunderstorm clouds at immense speeds.
These bizarre bursts of energy extend to around 75-80 km (47-50 miles) above the Earth's surface, reaching the fringes of space itself. While pilots and observers on the ground have reported seeing these dazzling flashes for decades, their existence was only confirmed fairly recently.
According to NASA, the first documented evidence of what is now called a sprite was captured on a videotape on July 6, 1989. Later, between 1989 and 1991, additional footage from the Space Shuttle confirmed that these eerie electrical discharges were real.
NASA stated: “Video observations from the space shuttle acquired from 1989 through 1991 provided 17 additional examples to confirm the existence of the sprites phenomenon”.
Scientists have since learned that these blue jets and sprites form in a similar way to regular lightning.
They occur after an electrical charge builds up inside a cloud, but rather than striking downward, the charge is pushed upward due to a layer of negative energy above.
The bright blue color comes from the way the charge interacts with nitrogen in the Earth’s upper atmosphere, creating an otherworldly glow that can stretch for miles.
Despite these discoveries, there are still plenty of unanswered questions about the nature of these bizarre light shows.
NASA asked: “What conditions in the upper atmosphere trigger sprite initiation?”.
“How are sprites connected with gravity waves, which send wind-driven ripples of energy through our upper atmosphere?”, added the government agency.
Further studies, both from Earth and space, could help solve these mysteries. For now, Wilmore’s breathtaking image serves as yet another reminder of just how much there is still to uncover about the forces shaping our planet’s atmosphere and beyond.