In early July 2025, NASA astronaut Nichole “Vapor” Ayers snapped a uncommon picture of a large pink “sprite” phenomenon erupting above a thunderstorm, as she orbited 250 miles (400 km) above Earth. Sprites are temporary, luminous columns attributable to highly effective lightning discharges far under. Ayers famous that having the ISS vantage makes for a “nice view above the clouds” and helps scientists analyze these elusive occasions. This sprite appeared over storm clouds spanning Mexico and the southern U.S. on July 3, 2025. The sighting coincides with NASA’s Spritacular citizen-science undertaking, which crowdsources images of sprites and different upper-atmosphere flashes.

Uncommon ‘Sprite’ Phenomenon Defined

In keeping with NASA, sprites are one of many “least understood” and most visually putting upper-atmosphere phenomena. They’re temporary columns of pink mild that flash excessive above thunderclouds, triggered by highly effective lightning strikes. Information present sprites typically kind round 50 miles (80 km) altitude above Earth. These fleeting bursts take diversified shapes – tendrils, plumes or towering columns of pink mild.

In Ayers’s picture, the sprite appears like an inverted scarlet umbrella extending into the sky. Every sprite flash lasts just a few milliseconds, so each picture supplies helpful information. Observations from orbit and the bottom are steadily constructing a clearer image of those mysterious storm-driven occasions. For instance, NASA’s Juno mission even recorded sprite-like flares in Jupiter’s environment, suggesting comparable lightning processes on different worlds.

Crowdsourcing Sprites

To assemble extra information on sprites, NASA launched the Spritacular citizen-science undertaking. By way of Spritacular, volunteers with cameras can submit images of upper-atmosphere flashes for analysis. The undertaking’s web site reviews over 800 volunteers from 21 international locations have uploaded about 360 sprite sightings since its 2022 launch. Every contribution helps scientists map the place and the way sprites happen. Ayers’s ISS picture provides a helpful perspective that enhances citizen reviews.

Space.com notes that a number of ISS crew members have begun photographing sprites from orbit, bolstering the information. Spritacular principal investigator Dr. Burcu Kosar says the undertaking “will bridge the hole” between informal observers and researchers. NASA scientists say many questions on how and why sprites kind “stay unanswered”, so extra photos may quickly assist decode the thriller.