Astronomy Picture of the Day · January 4, 2021

Sprite Lightning at 100,000 Frames Per Second

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for January 4, 2021 is “Sprite Lightning at 100,000 Frames Per Second,” a video. The video is copyrighted by its creator (Video Credit & Copyright: Matthew G McHarg, Jacob L Harley, Thomas Ashcraft , Hans Nielsen). The original explanation runs about 149 words.

From the explanation

“What causes sprite lightning ? Mysterious bursts of light in the sky that momentarily resemble gigantic jellyfish have been recorded for over 30 years, but apart from a general association with positive cloud-to-ground lightning, their root cause remains unknown.”

— APOD editors, January 4, 2021

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: January 4, 2021
Type: Video
Credit: Credit: Video Credit & Copyright: Matthew G McHarg, Jacob L Harley, Thomas Ashcraft , Hans Nielsen
Copyright: Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 149 words

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, January 4, 2021 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2021-january-4-sprite-lightning-at-100000-frames-per-second

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.