Astounding Footage: Astronaut Reveals Rare ‘Gigantic Jet’ Lightning Striking 50 Miles into Space!

An amazing lightning event was recently photographed by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS). This rare occurrence shows a gigantic jet of electricity shooting 50 miles into space from a thunderstorm in Louisiana. The stunning image, taken on November 19, 2024, gives us a glimpse of these towering lightning discharges that scientists are still trying to fully understand.

Different from regular lightning, gigantic jets move upward instead of striking downward. They break through storm clouds and extend into the ionosphere, which is the electrically charged layer of Earth’s atmosphere. These jets are powerful, carrying up to 60 times more energy than typical lightning bolts, making them fascinating yet mysterious weather phenomena.

The photograph, first captured by an anonymous ISS astronaut, was found in NASA’s Earth database by Frankie Lucena, a photographer who focuses on lightning and atmospheric events. Lucena shared the image with Spaceweather.com, leading to new interest in this incredible sight on February 26, 2025.

While the exact location of the gigantic jet isn’t clear due to cloud cover, based on the ISS’s position during the photo, it likely happened near New Orleans. The picture is part of a series of four images, but only one captured the breath-taking upward discharge.

Gigantic jets were first spotted in 2001. Scientists think they might happen about 1,000 times a year, but only a few dozen have been photographed. They are fast, lasting less than a second, and often happen in hard-to-reach stormy areas.

Unlike traditional lightning that moves between charged layers in storm clouds, gigantic jets break through the top layer of clouds when the electrical balance changes. When they reach the ionosphere, similar to where auroras form, they create a bright blue glow, resembling jellyfish. They stand apart from sprites, another kind of atmospheric lightning that shows up as red flashes above storms. While sprites are commonly seen and understood, gigantic jets remain largely unknown, sparking debate among scientists about their formation.

The most powerful gigantic jet recorded happened over Oklahoma in May 2018. It reached a staggering temperature of 8,000 degrees Fahrenheit (4,400 degrees Celsius) and was 60 times more powerful than normal lightning. Because these jets reach into space, scientists are curious if they could impact satellites, radio communications, or even space weather. Some think these powerful discharges might help balance Earth’s electrical environment, but there’s still much to discover.

This latest discovery reminds us of how much there is still to learn about Earth’s upper atmosphere. New technologies are helping scientists identify fleeting, energetic events that were previously hard to capture. As researchers probe deeper into gigantic jets and other rare lightning types, every new image from space takes us closer to untangling the mysterious electrical forces in our atmosphere and beyond.