Watch: Spectacular Rare Red Sprites And Green Ghost Lights Captured In Tibet

A stunning footage showcasing rare red sprites illuminating the upper atmosphere over Tibet's Xizang region has gone viral on social media. Captured by Chinese astrophotographer Dong Shuchang in the early hours of May 26, 2026, the highly detailed visual proof of one of the planet's most elusive atmospheric phenomena has left the viewers mesmerised. These spectacular, glowing red lights are a form of Transient Luminous Event (TLE), which create brilliant flashes of light high above powerful thunderstorms that are difficult to observe from the ground.

"In the early hours of May 26, 2026, I captured a spectacular display of red sprite lightning by the shores of Lake Puma Yumco in Shannan, Xizang, at an altitude of over 5,000 meters above sea level," Dong captioned the video.

Describing the 'red sprite outbreak' as surreal, Dong said he also managed to photograph the rare Ghost sprites with the green glow. The footage, recorded during an intense thunderstorm, shows multiple bright red flashes erupting above the cloud tops.

"During this massive red sprite outbreak, I photographed numerous extremely rare Ghost sprites, the green glow generated when oxygen molecules are excited by the most powerful red sprites. It's neither AI-generated nor edited with special effects, yet it looks so surreal," said Dong.

"This is the clearest and largest sprite lightning I have captured in four years. Hope you enjoy it," he added.

Atmospheric sprites appear in numerous shapes, including columns, carrots, branching tendrils, and jellyfish-like structures. The striking pillars captured above Tibet stand out as some of the most spectacular forms ever recorded.

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'Breathtaking'

As the video went viral, social media users praised Dong for his work while others were simply fascinated by nature's unbridled beauty.

"I like how it excited the oxygen molecules in the upper atmosphere and gave us a mini aurora," said one user, while another added: "I am 44 years old and just finding out about this. Simply breathtaking."

A third commented: "I've seen red sprites only once in my life. It was breathtaking. I was driving at night, coming down the mountain with my kids asleep in their carseats and just like that, over the ridge I saw a flash of them. I feel so blessed to witness them."

A fourth said: "Imagine you see this 1000 years ago and can't explain what chemical reaction is happening, that's some demon story right there."