Overview

• NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers photographed a red sprite TLE from the ISS on July 3 during the Crew-10 mission as it passed over Mexico and the US.
• Sprites are brief red flashes high above thunderstorms triggered by positive cloud-to-ground lightning, occurring at altitudes between 30 and 60 miles.
• This marks the first confirmed space-based capture of a sprite, enabling high-resolution views that were previously limited by ground-based observations.
• Experts are analyzing the image to refine models of TLE formation and debate continues over whether the phenomenon should be classified as a sprite or a gigantic jet.
• Ayers’s ongoing tenure aboard the ISS through at least August promises further opportunities to document these elusive upper-atmosphere electrical discharges.