Sprites are what scientists refer to as transient luminous events (TLEs) that happen above the clouds during periods of intense electrical activity, like lightning. Ayers, who is quite the astral ...

Red spites, a type of transient luminous event or TLE, appear in the upper atmosphere above a thunderstorm in Oklahoma in April 2025. Photograph by Paul Smith Our atmosphere is like one big electrical ...

NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers captured an electrifying image of a giant lightning "sprite" shooting up over Mexico and southern U.S. states. The red "jellyfish" could help researchers learn more about ...

Speeding around the Earth at 28,000 km/h, NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers captured an incredible view of a phenomenon known as a red sprite. Here's the science behind this 'transient luminous event'.

Strange jellyfish lights that appeared above thunderstorms around the world recently had people talking online. Many were puzzled and curious, with some even speculating wild ideas about alien ...

Giant red blobs, picket fences, upward branching carrots, and tentacled octopi - these are just a few of the phrases used to describe sprites - spectacular, eerie flashes of colored light high above ...

NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers captured a rare atmospheric phenomenon known as a Transient Luminous Event (TLE) or "sprite" while orbiting above North America. The brief red flashes appeared high above ...

An astronaut on the International Space Station has captured a rare kind of lightning called a sprite while traveling 250 miles above the Texas–Mexico border. Referred to as “space lightning” and ...

“As we went over Mexico and the U.S. this morning, I caught this sprite,” the former collegiate volleyball player said Ayers is aboard the International Space Station as pilot of SpaceX Dragon’s ...

Sprites have been known to form above intense thunderstorms. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. U.S. astronaut Nichole "Vapor" Ayers ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. A US astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS ...

A NASA astronaut drifting high above Earth recently managed to capture a rare phenomenon that scientists have been working to understand for about three decades. Known as a "sprite," the atmospheric ...