Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Sprite Lightning in High Definition

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 2, 2023 is “Sprite Lightning in High Definition,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Nicolas Escurat). The original explanation runs about 161 words.

A normal starry sky is punctuated by by several very unusually shaped red objects, known as sprites. These sprites are shown in very high details including several very well defined
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Nicolas Escurat Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Sometimes lightning occurs out near space. One such lightning type is red sprite lightning , which has only been photographed and studied on Earth over the past 25 years.”

— APOD editors, October 2, 2023

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
October 2, 2023
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Nicolas Escurat
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 161 words

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Source

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.