A flash of light is often considered the appearance of a supernatural being. From a scientific point of view, this is a beautiful phenomenon that can sometimes be seen from the International Space Station (ISS).
European Space Agency astronaut and ISS crew Thomas Pesquet shared an image of a subtle blue light appearing over Europe. This photo he took from the ISS.
The flash of light was caused by lightning in the upper atmosphere. The photo he took in early September was shared by Pesquet this week. He said it was a very rare event.
The ISS is perfectly positioned to study the colorful events, which are described using a series of unique names, including those of fairies, nymphs, and giants. Observant photographers can even shoot them from below, like the fantastic sight shared in 2017.
"What's interesting about this lightning bolt is that its appearance decades ago was only observed anecdotally by pilots and scientists because they weren't sure this event actually existed. This event is real and can affect our climate as well," Pesquet said on his Flickr account. .
Pesquet's image represents a single frame of time lapse taken from the space station. The picture looks beautiful because it was captured by showing the curve of the Earth and against the backdrop of sparkling European lights