NASA Astronauts Capture Lightning Images From ISS Over US

NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers have captured striking images of lightning from the International Space Station (ISS) using a high-speed photography technique developed by astronaut Don Pettit. Their photos, taken over storms in Alabama and Georgia, reveal lightning as brief, glowing pulses that illuminate clouds from above, offering a perspective impossible to experience from the ground. This top-down view of lightning helps scientists better understand storm dynamics, energy transfer in the atmosphere, and phenomena such as blue jets and high-energy electron bursts linked to lightning. The astronauts conducted a spacewalk to install equipment on the ISS while observing and photographing the lightning storms below, demonstrating the integration of scientific research and operational activities aboard the station. Don Pettit's pioneering method, which captures images at 120 frames per second, has enabled the collection of detailed visual data that could enhance knowledge of atmospheric electrical phenomena. Beyond scientific value, these images also highlight the unique and awe-inspiring experience of viewing Earth’s weather from space.