An ESA astronaut working aboard the ISS has captured incredible footage of two rarely-seen weather events which have long puzzled scientists.
Taking advantage of the unique perspective on the planet provided by the space station, Andreas Mogensen was able to film phenomena known as 'red sprites' and 'blue jets.'
The colorful electrical discharges which take place above storm clouds have proven to be difficult for researchers to study because they only appear for an incredibly brief period of time and in atmospheric locations that are hard to observe.
As such, Mogenson's offerings from the ISS are perhaps the best view of the phenomena ever produced and, in the case of the 'blue jets,' the first footage ever seen of the event taking place.
In one incredible sequence, the astronaut was able to film an astounding 245 of the blue bursts taking place in just under three minutes atop a storm over the Bay of Bengal.
Source: PhysOrg