High above powerful thunderstorms an unusual type of lightning can sometimes appear that most people on Earth never see. This phenomenon is known as a red sprite. Unlike normal lightning which travels downward toward the ground red sprites shoot upward from the tops of thunderclouds into the upper atmosphere.

Red sprites occur about 50 to 90 kilometers above Earth in a region where the atmosphere becomes extremely thin. They often appear as brief flashes of red light that resemble glowing jellyfish or branching electrical structures. Because they happen so high above storms they are very difficult to observe from the ground.
Astronauts aboard orbiting spacecraft have occasionally captured incredible images of these events while looking down at storms across the planet. From space the sprites appear as sudden red bursts extending upward from massive storm systems. These observations help scientists understand how electrical activity interacts with the upper layers of Earth’s atmosphere.
Scientists believe red sprites are triggered by powerful lightning strikes inside thunderstorms. When strong lightning releases energy it can create a large electrical imbalance that reaches upward into the atmosphere and briefly ignites these glowing plasma structures. The flashes last only a fraction of a second.

Discoveries like red sprites remind us that our own planet still holds many hidden wonders. Even with advanced satellites and space stations studying Earth there are still atmospheric events that remain rare and mysterious to observe.