Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Space
  3. News

Thunderstorm from space captured in dramatic video from ISS

By

Private astronaut Marcus Wandt has shared a dramatic video captured from the International Space Station (ISS) showing a thunderstorm from above.

The footage (below) shows numerous flashes among clouds in what looks to have been a ferocious storm.

Recommended Videos

“Thunderstorms are powerful and beautiful phenomena to witness, also from space,” Wandt wrote in an online post that included the video clip.

Related

Thunderstorms are powerful and beautiful phenomena to witness, also from space. ⚡

I was lucky to catch a pretty spectacular thunderstorm during my first session with the Thor-Davis experiment from the @Space_Station.

We hope to help scientists to better understand… pic.twitter.com/awmSfQpJoL

— Marcus Wandt (@astro_marcus) February 13, 2024

Wandt said he witnessed the storm while working on the Thor-Davis experiment, which is testing a new camera concept in space for more detailed observations of thunderclouds and also investigating how lightning in the upper atmosphere might affect the concentration of greenhouse gasses.

The setup comprises a Davis 346 neuromorphic camera mounted on top of a Nikon D5 DSLR camera for handheld operation, with the two cameras controlled by an AstroPi unit based on a Raspberry Pi computer board.

Wandt was part of the four-person Axiom-3 crew that spent time aboard the ISS in a mission organized by Texas-based Axiom Space. The first all-European private mission returned to Earth on February 9.

The stay lasted just over two weeks, and Wandt spent much of his time working on various science experiments in microgravity conditions. He also earned a reputation for having a keen eye, snapping stunning shots of Earth captured from the ISS as it passed over various geographical wonders — when thunderclouds didn’t obscure them, that is. Wandt also used his camera to explore the interior of the space-based laboratory, sharing some original and creatively shot images during his time in orbit.

Want to learn more about life aboard the International Space Station? These videos, created by various astronauts over the years, share insights into things like how to exercise in orbit and other activities such as getting a haircut, grabbing a coffee, and using the bathroom — all trickier procedures than on Earth due to the lack of gravity.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Trevor Mogg
Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
ISS astronauts enjoy front row seats for comet’s journey toward the sun
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS as seen from the space station.

Two NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have been tracking the movement of a comet heading toward the sun and using the opportunity to capture some remarkable photos and footage.

ISS inhabitants Matthew Dominick and Don Pettit -- both already renowned for their impressive space-based photographic work -- have been monitoring comet C2023-A3 (also known as Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) for the past week or so and sharing their efforts on social media.

Read more
London sparkles in astronaut’s gorgeous night shot from the ISS
London seen from the ISS.

A gorgeous image captured by a recent arrival at the International Space Station (ISS) shows the night lights of London gleaming 250 miles below.

NASA astronaut Don Pettit -- NASA’s oldest active astronaut at 69 -- arrived at the station last week on his fourth trip to orbit.

Read more
Time-lapse from ISS shows lightning and mysterious red light
Earth in a time-lapse captured from the ISS.

In his final weeks aboard the space station after six months in orbit, NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick has shared a gorgeous time-lapse of Earth.

It shows a large part of Asia as the International Space Station (ISS) passed over it at night at an altitude of about 250 miles. The footage, which you can watch below, shows numerous flashes of lightning over a wide area, bright clusters of city lights, and colored lights from fishing boats, which Dominick describes as “one of my favorite things to see at night from the ISS.” But it also shows a bright red light, the source of which Dominick is unsure about.

Read more