Unlike normal lightning that strikes downward from clouds to ground, red sprites flash upward from the tops of thunderclouds toward space, reaching heights of 50 to 90 kilometers above Earth.

Mysterious ‘red lightning’ spotted over Himalayas is finally explained - Thunderstorms over Himalayas have potential to produce complex electrical discharges, researchers say ...

NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick caught a rare surprise while imaging an intense thunderstorm off the coast of South Africa. He spotted a red sprite, a rare type of lightning.