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NASA Astronaut Films Stunning Lightning Sprites Over Amazon

4/8/2025

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Summary

Story summary

NASA astronaut Don Pettit captured a mesmerizing six-second video of Transient Luminous Events, or sprites, illuminating the skies above the Amazon basin from the International Space Station. These vibrant flashes, born from electrical discharges above thunderstorms, reveal the stunning beauty of upper atmospheric lightning, a phenomenon first documented in 1989.

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Story summary

NASA astronaut Don Pettit captured a mesmerizing six-second video of Transient Luminous Events, or sprites, illuminating the skies above the Amazon basin from the International Space Station. These vibrant flashes, born from electrical discharges above thunderstorms, reveal the stunning beauty of upper atmospheric lightning, a phenomenon first documented in 1989.