NASA Astronaut Captures Mysterious Glowing Orbs in Earth’s Atmosphere from ISS
A NASA astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has captured an extraordinary photo of glowing blue orbs in Earth’s upper atmosphere, a phenomenon stemming from thunderstorms off the coast of South Africa. Although they might resemble scenes from a sci-fi movie about alien invasions, these orbs are natural atmospheric occurrences known as red sprites.
The photo, taken by astronaut Matthew Dominick on June 3, shows a series of luminous blue orbs aligned above the thunderstorms, illustrating what are known as Transient Luminous Events. These bursts of energy, which occur above storms due to lightning, contribute to the captivating visual display observed from the ISS.
Accompanying the blue orbs in the image are subtle red flashes, another lesser-known phenomenon associated with intense lightning events. These red flashes, occurring higher in the mesosphere—directly above the stratosphere—add to the complexity and intrigue of the atmospheric light show.
Red sprites are challenging to capture from Earth’s surface because they occur far above the thunderclouds, at altitudes up to 50 miles (80 kilometers). These sprites are not only rare but also briefly appear, making them a special sight for those able to photograph them from such a unique vantage point as the ISS.
Matthew Dominick, commander of the Crew-8 mission who launched to the ISS on March 3, is becoming known for sharing spectacular images from space. These photos are typically taken from the ISS’s cupola or other windows using high-resolution Nikon D6 and D5 SLR cameras, providing stunning views that are shared with the public.
In an effort to further understand these atmospheric phenomena, NASA encourages citizen scientists to contribute to Spritacular, a crowdsourced database where images of sprites can be shared for research purposes. This initiative helps enhance scientific understanding of such transient luminous events by leveraging global citizen contributions.