Photographer spies 'Electric jellyfish' flashing above storm in night sky
A video camera was rolling when two rare 'sprite' phenomena that look like gigantic jellyfish suddenly appeared and then disappeared in the blink of an eye.
By
Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published May 11, 2021 12:09 AM EDT
|
Updated Jun 12, 2025 2:14 PM EDT
A rare and intensive outburst of sprite lightning, also known as a "red sprite," streaked the night sky on June 1, 2025, in Shannan City, China. (StringersHub/Getty Images)
Lightning bolts can be extremely dangerous yet hauntingly beautiful, and earlier this month, one photographer managed to capture video of a type of lightning that very few have ever seen.
On the evening of June 1, a photographer in Shannan City, China, watched a thunderstorm rumbling in the distance with a camera focused on the top of the storm in an effort to photograph the fleeting phenomenon known as a lightning sprite.
A sprite is a large discharge of electricity high in the atmosphere miles above a severe thunderstorm that can extend almost to the edge of space, which is considered to be around 62 miles (100 km) above the Earth’s surface.
Sprites over a thunderstorm in France on Sep. 10, 2022. (Nicolas Escurat)
Nicolas Escurat
One of the most common types of sprites is the red "jellyfish sprite" due to the tendrils that extend downward similar to the tentacles of a jellyfish.
Careful planning and a bit of luck are needed for any hopes of capturing the elusive lightning bolt on camera.
The photographer in China was the right distance away from the faraway storm and was focused miles above the cloud tops with very specific camera settings.
Sprites only last for about 10 to 100 milliseconds, which is why they are easy to miss despite being dozen of miles in length.
An illustration of different kinds of transient luminous events (TLEs). (Image/NOAA)
Sprites have been observed above every continent on the globe except for Antarctica, but happen with most frequency over the central United States around Tornado Alley.
The deep red color is believed to be the result of the lightning interacting with nitrogen in the atmosphere, the University of Washington says.
The phenomenon may also be accompanied by a large, rapidly expanding halo of light known as an Elve, but the two do not always occur at the same time.
Sprites are so large that they have been spotted by cameras on the International Space Station, which orbits the Earth around 250 miles above the planet’s surface.
A red sprite, photographed from the International Space Station.
(Image/NASA/JSC)
A Space Shuttle mission in 1989 actually helped to confirm the existence of sprites. Prior to the space flight, sprites were reported by pilots but discounted by many scientists before first being photographed on accident in July of 1989, NASA said.
Since then, sprites have been documented all around the globe, including over powerful tropical systems, such as Hurricane Matthew in 2016, CNET said.
People hoping to photograph the phenomenon for themselves will need to wait for a night when a strong thunderstorm is off in the distance and use a low-light camera, such as a DSLR, to capture a sprite on film.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Severe Weather
Photographer spies 'Electric jellyfish' flashing above storm in night sky
A video camera was rolling when two rare 'sprite' phenomena that look like gigantic jellyfish suddenly appeared and then disappeared in the blink of an eye.
By Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published May 11, 2021 12:09 AM EDT | Updated Jun 12, 2025 2:14 PM EDT
A rare and intensive outburst of sprite lightning, also known as a "red sprite," streaked the night sky on June 1, 2025, in Shannan City, China. (StringersHub/Getty Images)
Lightning bolts can be extremely dangerous yet hauntingly beautiful, and earlier this month, one photographer managed to capture video of a type of lightning that very few have ever seen.
On the evening of June 1, a photographer in Shannan City, China, watched a thunderstorm rumbling in the distance with a camera focused on the top of the storm in an effort to photograph the fleeting phenomenon known as a lightning sprite.
A sprite is a large discharge of electricity high in the atmosphere miles above a severe thunderstorm that can extend almost to the edge of space, which is considered to be around 62 miles (100 km) above the Earth’s surface.
Sprites over a thunderstorm in France on Sep. 10, 2022. (Nicolas Escurat)
One of the most common types of sprites is the red "jellyfish sprite" due to the tendrils that extend downward similar to the tentacles of a jellyfish.
Careful planning and a bit of luck are needed for any hopes of capturing the elusive lightning bolt on camera.
The photographer in China was the right distance away from the faraway storm and was focused miles above the cloud tops with very specific camera settings.
Sprites only last for about 10 to 100 milliseconds, which is why they are easy to miss despite being dozen of miles in length.
An illustration of different kinds of transient luminous events (TLEs). (Image/NOAA)
Sprites have been observed above every continent on the globe except for Antarctica, but happen with most frequency over the central United States around Tornado Alley.
The deep red color is believed to be the result of the lightning interacting with nitrogen in the atmosphere, the University of Washington says.
The phenomenon may also be accompanied by a large, rapidly expanding halo of light known as an Elve, but the two do not always occur at the same time.
Sprites are so large that they have been spotted by cameras on the International Space Station, which orbits the Earth around 250 miles above the planet’s surface.
A red sprite, photographed from the International Space Station.
A Space Shuttle mission in 1989 actually helped to confirm the existence of sprites. Prior to the space flight, sprites were reported by pilots but discounted by many scientists before first being photographed on accident in July of 1989, NASA said.
Since then, sprites have been documented all around the globe, including over powerful tropical systems, such as Hurricane Matthew in 2016, CNET said.
People hoping to photograph the phenomenon for themselves will need to wait for a night when a strong thunderstorm is off in the distance and use a low-light camera, such as a DSLR, to capture a sprite on film.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo