APOD from 2025-12-23

Red Sprites and Circular Elves Lightning over Italy

Lightning comes in various forms, including white flashes between clouds, red sprites with tentacles, and ringed ELVES. Sprites are brief but bright, while ELVES form glowing nitrogen rings in the ionosphere. Capturing both together is rare, as seen in a video from Italy over the Adriatic Sea.

HD image at https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251223.html#space #astronomy