Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have witnessed something strange. They found a strange blue glow over Europe in September. The glow was a “transient luminous event,” as per French astronaut Thomas Pesquet. He shared the image via his Twitter handle.
This is something that occurs when there’s lightning in the upper atmosphere in altitudes above where it usually happens. All in all, it looks like something striking that has never been captured before.
Helping astronauts study atmospheric events
“This is a very rare occurrence and we have a facility outside Europe’s Columbus laboratory dedicated to observing these flashes of light,” Pesquet wrote on a Flickr post. “The Space Station is extremely well suited for this observatory as it flies over the equator where there are more thunderstorms.”
One advantage of being aboard the ISS is the ability to study atmospheric events that wouldn’t have been possible from Earth. These events – at times might impact our climate as well.
“What is fascinating about this lightning is that just a few decades ago they had been observed anecdotally by pilots and scientists were not convinced they actually existed,” Pesquet wrote on Flickr. “Fast forward a few years and we can confirm elves, and sprites are very real and could be influencing our climate too!”
Interesting things happening aboard ISS
Previously, astronauts aboard ISS shared what a dinner party on the orbital outpost looks like. Astronaut Megan McArthur shared a video that shows a recent dining session with her fellow astronauts. We can see the lively atmosphere as everyone has come together to share meals. “Looking forward to another Saturday in with good friends, good laughs, and good space food!” McArthur’s tweet read.
Thomas Pesquet keeps sharing interesting things from the International Space Station. He previously captured a light show that makes the space laboratory look like an orbiting disco. While astronauts aboard ISS do celebrate birthdays 250 miles above our planet’s surface, disco is yet to be a part of the space laboratory. What Pesquet shared was simply the LED lights of Veggie, one of ISS’ plant growing facilities.
