Here's how it happened.
Lightning in the Sky
An unusual blue glow was seen over Europe by astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS).
According to Thomas Pesquet, a French astronaut on Twitter, the glow was a temporary luminous event. This phenomenon occurs when lightning strikes the upper atmosphere at altitudes higher than where it usually occurs.
This is an extremely rare event and we have a facility beyond Europe's Columbus laboratory that can observe these flashes. Pesquet posted the image on Flickr. This observatory is very well suited to the Space Station, as it flies above the Equator where there are more storms.
ESA/NASAT Pesquet
Amazing Images
The ISS gives us the opportunity to observe atmospheric phenomena that we would not otherwise be able on Earth. These events are sometimes called elves or sprites in fantasy. They might have an impact on our climate.
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It is amazing that this lightning was observed only a few decades back by pilots, but scientists weren't convinced they existed. We can now confirm that elves and sprites exist and may be influencing our climate!
READ MORE: An Astronaut Identifies Rare and Ethereal Transient Luminous Event from ISS [CNET]
SpaceX Launch Spits Out Epic and Fiery Jellyfish in Night Sky
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