Yohan Laurito photographs rare red sprites over Brignoles in France
A photographer in southern France, Yohan Laurito, managed to snap some super-rare red sprites flashing above a thunderstorm near Brignoles shortly before 3am local time.
These bright red bursts are almost impossible to spot with the naked eye and are linked to intense storms brewing between Spain's Balearic Islands and Catalonia.
Red sprites are millisecond high flashes
Red sprites are quick electrical flashes that pop up way above thunderstorms (think 40 to 90km high) and vanish in milliseconds.
Their striking red color comes from nitrogen lighting up during the discharge, and they can look like columns or even jellyfish floating in the sky.
Yohan Laurito's photos reveal sprites
Even with modern tech, photographing sprites is tough because they're so brief and high up.
Laurito, who started Meteo-Varoise, keeps chasing these rare moments thanks to his love for wild weather and cool sky phenomena: his photos give us a glimpse of something most people never get to see.