Overview

• Nichole Ayers first spotted a lightning storm during her May 1 spacewalk and used interior ISS photography on May 5 to capture the initial images.
• Anne McClain recorded additional lightning events on May 15 and May 21 while passing over Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina.
• Each sequence was filmed at 120 frames per second, freezing the brief violet glow that transforms storm clouds into nebula-like formations.
• Both astronauts credit Don Pettit’s specialized imaging techniques for enabling high-speed, manual photography of transient atmospheric phenomena.
• Researchers say these space-based observations provide new data on lightning frequency, distribution and its interaction with the upper atmosphere.