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Photographer Captures Rare Red Sprites Over Milky Way

10/20/2025

45 11

Summary

Story summary

Dan Zafra, a New Zealand photographer, captured lightning sprites alongside the Milky Way's galactic core.
On October 11, under clear skies, he observed faint flashes from a distant thunderstorm.
The flashes were red sprites, brief discharges high above thunderstorms.
Zafra calls the moment remarkable and suggests it may be the first red-sprite instance with the Southern Hemisphere Milky Way.

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Story summary

Dan Zafra, a New Zealand photographer, captured lightning sprites alongside the Milky Way's galactic core.
On October 11, under clear skies, he observed faint flashes from a distant thunderstorm.
The flashes were red sprites, brief discharges high above thunderstorms.
Zafra calls the moment remarkable and suggests it may be the first red-sprite instance with the Southern Hemisphere Milky Way.