NASA explains mysterious red lights seen over Earth
Those weird red lights spotted above thunderstorms lately?
Scientists and space agencies, including NASA, say they're not alien signals, but something called "red sprites"—a rare kind of lightning that shoots upward instead of down.
They look like glowing red pillars or jellyfish floating high in the sky.
A recent photo by Nicolas Escurat for NASA's Spritacular project really shows off how cool and unusual these flashes are.
What makes red sprites special?
Red sprites happen 50-90km above big storms, triggered by powerful lightning strikes that mess with the electric field way up in the atmosphere.
Unlike regular lightning, they're made of cold plasma, which gives them a ghostly, almost otherworldly glow.
Scientists and skywatchers are getting more excited about spotting and studying these rare light shows as more photos pop up online.