Astronaut Captures Rare Jellyfish-Like Phenomenon Above Thunderstorm Clouds: ‘Wow ... I Caught This Sprite'
'As we went over Mexico and the U.S. this morning, I caught this sprite,' the former collegiate volleyball player said
Ayers is aboard the International Space Station as pilot of SpaceX Dragon's Crew-10, which arrived at the ISS in MarchA NASA astronaut is in awe of what she witnessed above the clouds.
Nichole Ayers, who is aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as pilot of SpaceX Dragon's Crew-10, captured the moment when a rare electrical phenomenon occurred above thunderstorm clouds on Thursday, July 3.
'Just. Wow,' the 36-year-old astronaut wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of the red jellyfish-like electrical occurrence. 'As we went over Mexico and the U.S. this morning, I caught this sprite.'
A sprite is 'an atmospheric phenomenon associated with lightning,' according to NASA's Earth Observatory.
Providing more context, Ayers wrote, 'Sprites are TLEs or transient luminous events that happen above the clouds and are triggered by intense electrical activity in the thunderstorms below.'
'We have a great view above the clouds, so scientists can use these types of pictures to better understand the formation, characteristics, and relationship of TLEs to thunderstorms,' she concluded.
This red sprite, like a previous one NASA captured in June 2024, has red tendrils associated with jellyfish sprites due to 'the positively charged lightning [interacting] with atmospheric nitrogen, creating an electrical breakdown that produces flashes of red light.'
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In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE in May, Ayers talked about the beauty of being in space, where she gets to fly around the world every 90 minutes, with the chance to watch a sunset or a sunrise every 45 minutes.
'I think that 'excited' is an understatement,' Ayers, a former collegiate volleyball player, said at the time. 'I like to say the English language doesn't have the right words to describe how amazing the experience is. The launch was amazing. And then getting to come through the hatch of the International Space Station, just awesome, amazing, ecstatic.'
'It's been an amazing experience so far,' Ayers added.
The NASA astronaut arrived at the ISS aboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule and the Falcon 9 rocket on March 14 as part of Crew-10.
While in space, Ayers and other astronauts on the mission are conducting science experiments, participating in spacewalks and working out.
They will return to Earth in the fall after their six-month mission.
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