In a stunning display, astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) recently captured a lightning storm illuminating the skies above Singapore. The image, taken during the station's orbit over Southeast Asia, shows intense bursts of light flickering through cloud cover in the region.
What is it?
The ISS sits in low Earth orbit, providing a unique vantage point for observing large-scale weather phenomena, events such as wildfires, volcanoes, snowfall and more.
As the ISS passed above the city-state of Singapore at 3:18 a.m. local time on June 15, the crew witnessed an electrifying storm with flashes of lightning across the landscape. The flash, which appears almost spherical in the image, is due to lightning striking the clouds above the urban area, according to NASA.
Where is it?
The ISS was orbiting 259 miles (417 kilometers) above the South China Sea when this image was captured.
Why is it amazing?
Observing lightning from space offers crucial data for atmospheric scientists. Singapore and the surrounding areas have lots of storm activity, making them hotspots for studying tropical weather patterns.
While weather satellites orbit Earth and study similar patterns and phenomena, having an extra set of eyes, including human ones, on and around the planet gives experts more data to work with, which can be useful in developing more accurate modeling and forecasting frameworks.
Want to learn more?
You can read more about the International Space Station and Earth's weather satellites as scientists continue studying Earth's climate.
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