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A new bring out photo charm by an astronaut on theInternational Space Station(ISS ) provides a rare glimpse at an upwards - shooting " gigantic jet " of lightning belike extending more than 50 miles ( 80 kilometre ) above the U.S. coast .
The striking image was remove by an unnamed ISS crewmember on Nov. 19 , 2024 , but it was not ab initio shared byNASAor any other infinite organization . However , photographerFrankie Lucena , who specialise in capture gargantuan lightning faery , stumbled across photos of the event on theGateway to Astronaut photography of Earthwebsite and shared them withSpaceweather.com , which reshared the shots Feb. 26 .
The “gigantic jet” was photographed by an unnamed astronaut on Nov. 19, 2024.
" I checked the ISS database for mental picture before and after the event , and found that there were 4 photos [ of lightning ] in all , " Lucena told Spaceweather.com . The paradigm can be see in a time - oversight TV stake onYouTube , but only one has an associated jet .
The exact localisation of the K is unclear because cumulonimbus are covering Earth ’s surface in the images . However , based on the position of the ISS at the meter , the jet plane in all probability occurred just off the seacoast of New Orleans , according to Spaceweather.com .
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The exact height of the jet is unclear. However, it likely reached around 50 miles above Earth’s surface.
mammoth jetsare massive lightning deadbolt that blast upwards from thunderstorm when the blame layer of the clouds get temporarily inverted . They chiefly give off a grim light due to the gamey level of nitrogen in the upper atmosphere and usually last less than a second .
Most ascertained mammoth jets reach the ionosphere — the part of the standard atmosphere that begins around 50 miles above Earth ’s surface and contains charged molecule becharm from the sun . This has earned the phenomenon the nickname " Earth ’s tallest lightning , " according to Spaceweather.com . However , the exact top of the newly photographed bolt is ill-defined .
mammoth jets are also super energetic . The most brawny recorded example of this phenomenon , whichoccurred during a thunderstorm over Oklahomain May 2018 , contained roughly 60 metre more vitality than a standard lightning deadbolt and reached up to 8,000 degrees Fahrenheit ( 4,400 degrees Celsius ) .
These reverse lightning often terminate with tendrils of furcate ruby lightning , which can be faintly seen in the unexampled range of a function . These additional discharges are very like to " sprite , " whichoften reckon like jumbo electric jellyfish . However , gigantic jets are a separate phenomenon from traditional faery , which happen without jet , according toEarthSky.com .
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Gigantic special K were first discover relatively recently , in 2001 — so only a few dozen photographs of these massive bolts have ever been charm , according to Spaceweather.com . However , scientist think there could be up to 1,000 unseen spurt every year .
Most of these images have been taken from space , but some others , including abreathtaking image from September 2018 , have also been snapped by airplane passenger flying over electric storm .
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