A picture snapped from the International Space Station (ISS) by NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers has captured a lesser-seen view of an extraordinary atmospheric phenomenon known as a red sprite.
The photo, taken from orbit during the night, shows a glowing bluish-purple halo with a vivid red column shooting upward into space.
“Just. Wow. As we went over Mexico and the U.S. this morning, I caught this sprite,” Ayers shared on X, formerly Twitter, on the evening of July 3, 2025. The image has gained over 2.7 million views on the social-media platform, amazing viewers from the ground.
A U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and combat-experienced fighter pilot, Ayers was selected as part of NASA’s Artemis generation of astronauts.
Currently onboard the ISS as part of Expedition 73, Ayers and her fellow crew members are tasked with a number of scientific experiments, from environmental monitoring to observing human physiology.
A picture of the rarely seen “red sprite” phenomenon from the International Space Station (ISS).
A picture of the rarely seen “red sprite” phenomenon from the International Space Station (ISS).
@Astro_Ayers/X
What Are Red Sprites?
Red sprites, like the one in the picture above, are a form of upper-atmospheric lightning, occurring between 30 and 60 miles above Earth’s surface.
Unlike the familiar bolts that crack down from clouds to the ground, sprites shoot upward into the mesosphere, often appearing red or pink, due to the interaction of nitrogen molecules with high-energy electrons.
These phenomena are part of a broader category called Transient Luminous Events.
Alongside red sprites, there are other examples of TLEs, including:
- Blue Jets: Discharges that travel upward from thunderclouds to the stratosphere.
- Elves: Expanding disk-shaped glowing lights triggered by lightening-generated electromagnetic pulses.
- Gigantic Jets: Large electric discharges that span from the thunderstorm up to the ionosphere.
Although first captured in photos in the late 20th century, sprites were reported by pilots as early as the 1950s and are now frequently studied, thanks to advanced space-based cameras like those on the ISS.
In its own post on X, NASA added: “A view of lightning that’s nothing like what we see on the ground: crew observations and instruments on the space station can help us better understand the behaviors of storms.”
Newsweek reached out to NASA via email for comment.
Why These Photos Matter
Images like the one shared by Ayers are not just breathtaking, they are also scientifically valuable. Studying sprites helps scientists understand the electrical balance of the atmosphere, and even the potential impacts on communication technology and aviation.
Space-based observations are essential in documenting TLEs. Earth-based detection is limited by weather and geography, while views from the ISS offer a unique vantage point unobstructed by clouds or light pollution.