Data acquired April 30, 2012
720 x 480
JPEG

Data acquired April 30, 2012
1440 x 960
220 KB - JPEG

Data acquired April 30, 2012
1440 x 960
224 KB - JPEG

Data acquired April 30, 2012
1440 x 960
221 KB - JPEG

Elusive Sprite Captured from the International Space Station

Red sprites, short-lived flashes caused by intense lightning, are rarely captured on camera.

This image originally appeared in the NASA Earth Observatory story Elusive Sprite Captured from the International Space Station.

Astronaut photographs ISS031-E-10711, ISS031-E-10712, and ISS031-E-10713 were acquired on April 30, 2012. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. Caption by Michael Carlowicz.

Published July 10, 2012
Data acquired April 30, 2012