- Astronaut Jessica Meir captured a large lightning flash from space aboard the ISS
- The image was taken through a SpaceX Dragon window during a nighttime timelapse
- Astronauts often film lightning and rare atmospheric events from orbital altitude
Astronaut Jessica Meir Captures "Monster Thundercloud" Lightning Flash From Space. The beautiful flash has been framed by the quiet of space. In an Instagram post, she revealed that the image of the thundercloud was taken toward the end of a nighttime timelapse filmed through a window of SpaceX Dragon docked to the International Space Station (ISS). The lightning flash was so large and intense that it left the astronaut stunned.
"Toward the end of a recent nighttime timelapse from a @spacex Dragon window, I caught this impressive lightning flash," Meir wrote as the caption of the post, which was also shared on the page of ISS. "I was astounded by the size and intensity of this monster thundercloud. The things we witness from our vantage point on the @iss never cease to amaze me."
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See the post here:
This is not the first time astronauts have routinely filmed lightning as part of Earth observation. At orbital altitude, they see the tops of thunderstorms, including massive superbolt discharges and rare upper-atmosphere events like red sprites, which can reach 50 miles into space.
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Social Media Reaction
The post quickly drew thousands of comments. To viewers on Earth, it's a glimpse of weather at a planetary scale. "So so so beautiful!" one user wrote in the comment section.
"That's so crazy and incredibly cool," wrote another user. "So beautiful!" a third user wrote.
Who is Jessica Meir?
According to NASA, Meir is an American born to Israeli and Swedish immigrants. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Brown University, a Master of Science in Space Studies from the International Space University, and a Doctorate in Marine Biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography (UCSD). She was selected by NASA in 2013.
She worked for Lockheed Martin's Human Research Facility from 2000 to 2003 and supported human physiology research. She also participated in research flights on NASA's reduced gravity aircraft and served as an aquanaut in an underwater habitat for NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) during this time.
