In an X (formerly Twitter) post, Pettit shared footage of rare "sprite lightning" illuminating Earth's clouds from below. It's one of only a few times an astronaut has filmed or photographed ...

In 2024, NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick caught a glimpse at one of the most elusive atmospheric phenomena known as red sprites. These occur during particularly powerful thunderstorms and travel ...

Colorful sprites, or transient luminous events, flash above clouds in a video taken by NASA astronaut Don Pettit aboard the ISS. | Credit: Don Pettit/NASA NASA astronaut Don Pettit captured ...

Pettit was able to view the sprites from directly above, looking down at what is known as the nadir, the point directly below a particular location. "OK, this is kind of out there and caters to ...

Sprites are created when electrical discharges created by lightning shoot upward, creating bursts of plasma in the ionosphere, found around 50 miles (80 km) above Earth's surface. They were not ...