Stunning Photos of Lightning Across U.S. Skies, Courtesy of NASA Astronauts
Taking a gander at spectacular images shared by astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS), you'll find a treasure trove of breath-taking phenomena captured below, from the mysterious red sprites to the ethereal "space angels" and the awe-inspiring aurora borealis. The latest batch of photos, snapped by astronauts Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain, features lightning dancing through thunderstorms in Earth's atmosphere.
Orbiting around our humble abode, astronauts like Ayers and McClain get a one-of-a-kind view of any significant event happening below, as if they were spectators to a grand cosmic production.
At the end of May, McClain snapped photos while passing over a storm brewing over Alabama and Georgia, describing the images as resembling a "nebula-like formation". The clouds seemed to glow with an eerie light from all the lightning activity occurrin' below[1][2]. Ayers, too, caught glimpses of lightning while performing her first space walk back in March with McClain, marking her third space walk[1].
NASA penned down the details of the space walk, stating that McClain and Ayers completed their primary objectives, relocating a space station communications antenna and setting up initial mounting brackets for an IROSA [1]. They also accomplished various maintenance tasks, such as installing a jumper cable to power the International Space Station's Russian segment and removing bolts from a micrometeoroid cover[1].
Post the spacewalk, Ayers tried her hand at capturing lightning from inside the ISS[1]. Both McClain and Ayers have been influenced by the celestial photography skills of fellow astronaut Don Pettit, who is well-known for his breathtaking shots of Earth from the ISS[1][3][4].
Pettit employs several techniques to achieve these breathtaking images, such as taking photographs at a high frame rate, using multiple cameras, optimizing viewpoints, and timing his shots during optimal conditions[5]. These techniques have now been passed on to other astronauts, who are working to refine and apply them as they capture awe-inspiring images from space[5]. It seems like the sky's the limit for their cosmic photography prowess!
As astronauts like Ayers and McClain continue to orbit Earth, their unique perspective captures more than just space phenomena – they also document weather events on our planet, such as the lightning dance during storms, as observed by McClain over Alabama and Georgia. This celestial photography skill is an inspiring tradition passed down from astronaut Don Pettit, who optimizes viewpoints and timing to take breathtaking images of Earth's weather systems from the International Space Station.
