What Does Lightning Look Like From Space? NASA Reveals Photo Snapped By Astronaut Aboard ISS

NASA has released a fascinating image showing a bright lightning strike as seen from space. Chosen as an Earth Observatory Image of the Day earlier this month, it was taken by an unnamed astronaut onboard the International Space Station (ISS).

The picture was originally snapped October 30, 2021 while orbiting over Southeast Asia and the Gulf of Thailand.

Astronaut photograph ISS066-E-24707
Astronaut photograph ISS066-E-24707 was acquired on October 30, 2021, with a Nikon D5 digital camera using a focal length of 28 millimeters. It is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by a member of the Expedition 66 crew. The image has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast, and lens artifacts have been removed. (Credit: NASA)

“The Vietnamese coast and Thailand anchor the center of the image. For context, the distance from Hainan to Kunming, a city in southern China, is more than 800 kilometers (500 miles),” NASA explains in an online post.

“The astronaut photographer also captured a bright lightning strike over the Gulf of Thailand, while the Moon appears just above Earth’s limb on the upper right edge. Fishing fleets seen near Vietnam’s coast illuminate the South China Sea. In several parts of the image, storm clouds blur the white- and orange-hued city lights,” the post continues.

In the photo, a glow surges through Thailand from the highway lights as well as the lights of Ubon Ratchathani, Amnat Charoen, and Yasothon.

The image was taken by a member of the Expedition 66 crew using a Nikon D5 digital camera using a focal length of 28 millimeters.

NASA lightning strike.
Astronaut photograph ISS066-E-24707 labeled with locations. (Credit: NASA)

Report by Dean Murray, South West News Service


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