An astronaut on board the International Space Station has captured an amazing image of a bolt of lighting escaping a thunderstorm and shooting upwards into the upper atmosphere.
NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers captured the image on 3 July 2025, and originally thought it to be an event known as a 'sprite'.
More images from the ISS
It has since been confirmed as an even rarer type of so-called 'transient luminous event' (TLE), known as a gigantic jet.
Gigantic jets are rare, powerful electrical discharges generated during a thunderstorm that shoot up into the upper atmosphere, and can reach heights of 50–90km (30–55 miles).
They occur when turbulent conditions at the tops of thunderstorms enable lighting to travel upwards towards space.
Gigantic jets can be dangerous, causing severe turbulence and wind changes that can affect airplanes.
“Nichole Ayers caught a rare and spectacular form of a TLE from the International Space Station — a gigantic jet,” says Dr. Burcu Kosar, Principal Investigator of the Spritacular project.
Spritacular is a NASA citizen science project to gather images of upper atmospheric electrical phenomena captured by the public.
Ayers captured the image onboard the International Space Station as part of the crew of Expedition 72 and 73.
She launched as pilot of the SpaceX Crew-10 mission on 14 March 2025 and returned to Earth on 9 August 2025.
If you have images of phenomena like this, we'd love to see them! Share them with us by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com, or submit them to Spritacular
