Space Station Astronaut Captures Rare Image of Mysterious Red Sprite
ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, commander of ISS Expedition 70, captured a photograph of a rare atmospheric phenomenon known as a red sprite lightning using a specialized Davis camera attached to the International Space Station. Red sprites are electrical discharges generated above rainclouds at an altitude between 40 and 80 kilometers and exist for only a fraction of a second. The image captured by Mogensen is estimated to have stretched 14 by 26 kilometers across the sky and contributes to our understanding of atmospheric and environmental dynamics.
