Stunning images of mysterious red lights appearing to fall from space have captured global attention, sparking widespread speculation online. While many social media users linked these ghostly flashes to alien signals,

Scientists and space agencies have confirmed a more grounded explanation. These striking phenomena are known as red sprites, a rare and elusive type of upper-atmosphere lightning.

A recent post by NASA’s citizen science project Spritacular featured a remarkable photo by French contributor Nicolas Escurat.

The image clearly shows a red flash above a thunderstorm cloud, providing one of the most vivid views of this unusual electrical event on Earth.

Unveiling red sprites: Mysterious upward lightning lighting the sky with jellyfish-shaped red glows

Red sprites are brief bursts of electrical energy that occur high above storm clouds in the mesosphere, at altitudes ranging from 50 to 90 km. Unlike typical lightning that strikes downward, sprites travel upwards during intense thunderstorms.

These flashes often appear as vertical red pillars or jellyfish-shaped formations. The upper portion glows reddish-orange, while faint bluish tendrils stretch downward, creating an impression of luminous roots extending into the clouds below.

According to researchers, sprites are triggered when exceptionally strong lightning strikes the ground. This event disturbs the electric field above the storm, releasing energy into the upper atmosphere and producing the striking red glow seen from space.

What causes the mysterious red “jellyfish” lights that appear above storms?

Sprites are initiated by compelling lightning strikes that create a sudden surge of electrical energy in the upper atmosphere.

This energy interacts with nitrogen molecules at high altitudes, generating the signature red glow. Unlike conventional lightning, which heats the air to thousands of degrees, sprites are composed of cold plasma, making them appear ghostly and ethereal.

Historic sightings of red sprites

Red sprites have been observed sporadically for decades, but capturing them is exceptionally challenging.

On 3 July 2025, NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers photographed a massive red pillar from the International Space Station above a storm system, reigniting global interest in sprite research.

On 19 May 2022, photographers documented 105 red sprites rising simultaneously over the southern Tibetan Plateau, confirmed by Chinese researchers as the largest single outbreak ever recorded over a South Asian storm. In Europe,

Italian photographer Giacomo Venturin captured clusters of sprites from Monte Tomba, illuminating storm clouds over Austria nearly 300 kilometres away.

Prof Sir Paul Nurse, one of Britain’s most distinguished scientists, asserts that the government’s visa system for science researchers is putting the country at a disadvantage.

Sir Paul informed BBC News that the high visa fees are discouraging early-career researchers, while the UK’s economic rivals are welcoming them instead.

Supporters of the current system argue that higher visa costs contribute to funding the NHS and address broader public concerns about immigration.

Nobel Prize-winning scientist

But the Nobel Prize-winning scientist says the UK’s scientific future is being put at risk.

“Having expensive visa costs is counterproductive.” It absolutely doesn’t help in attracting these sorts of people,” Sir Paul said.

Sir Paul, who has taken over as President of the Royal Society, which represents the UK’s leading scientists, warns that countries such as China and Singapore are actively courting overseas scientific talent.

“Why do we put hurdles in the way of the people who are actually going to drive our economy? It makes zero sense.”

The Nobel Prize winner describes the UK’s science base as “fragile” because of a combination of steep visa costs, funding pressures and the negative effects of current immigration rules.

He urges ministers to rethink a system that forces scientists to pay an annual NHS surcharge and to prove they have thousands of pounds in the bank before they arrive.

Official guidance on the Immigration Health Surcharge explains that visa applicants pay the surcharge to help fund their healthcare.

Home Office guidance states that applicants must show set levels of savings to prove they can support themselves “without recourse to public funds.”

The Centre for Policy Studies, a centre-right think tank, argues in its report Taking Back Control for net migration to be brought back down to the “tens of thousands”.

But its policy expert on the issue, Karl Williams, broadly agrees with Sir Paul’s sentiments but argues that a tight overall migration limit must be maintained after a historically large recent surge in immigration.

“The wave of immigration we had between 2021 and 2024 is probably the single most significant demographic event in modern British history… If you say yes to one sector, then you start saying yes to other sectors, and you actually just recreate the problems of recent years.”

According to Home Office visa statistics, the total number of people receiving a visa for a job in natural and social science in the last quarter was 323 people.

“Even if you doubled that, that wouldn’t make a huge difference to the overall migration numbers,” Mr Williams told BBC News.

“But there is no robust system to make that work, for example, having conversations about where numbers can be reduced to let more scientists in.”

BBC

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From drama to positivity

Billions of years ago, Mars was not the arid, desolate planet we know today. Evidence suggests that rainfall once flowed across its surface, carving valleys, filling craters, and forming river networks that may have emptied into a vast ocean.

Understanding these ancient waterways is crucial for scientists searching for signs of past life, as water is the primary ingredient for habitability. Mars’ rivers and drainage systems are more than simple channels; they are records of the planet’s climate, geology, and potential for life.

By mapping these features, researchers can identify regions where nutrients and sediments accumulated, offering the highest likelihood of preserving chemical traces of ancient organisms.

The importance of mapping large river systems on Mars is significant.

On Earth, large rivers such as the Amazon, Ganga and Nile create fertile environments that support diverse ecosystems. Nutrients transported by flowing water nourish plants, animals, and microorganisms across vast regions.

Scientists hypothesise that similar river systems on Mars could have served as cradles for life. Unlike Earth, however, Mars lacks active tectonics. Tectonic movements on Earth form mountains, valleys, and complex topography that direct water into organised drainage systems.

Mars’ lack of tectonic activity means fewer large-scale watersheds, but even the ones that existed would have concentrated water and sediments in ways that made life more feasible.

The first comprehensive mapping of Mars’ large river basins has been revealed by the study.

A new study from the University of Texas at Austin has, for the first time, mapped large river drainage systems across the entire planet. Using data from valley networks, lakes, rivers, and canyons, researchers identified 19 clusters of interconnected waterways.

Sixteen of these clusters formed watersheds over 100,000 square kilometres, the threshold used on Earth to classify a drainage basin as “large”. Timothy A. Goudge, assistant professor at the UT Jackson School of Geosciences, explained, “

We’ve always known Mars had rivers, but the global organisation of large drainage systems was previously unknown.” By systematically combining multiple datasets, the team provided a comprehensive view of Mars’ hydrologic landscape.

Mars’ largest basins reveal key clues for past habitability

While Earth has many large drainage basins, 91 exceeding 100,000 square kilometres, Mars has relatively few. The Amazon River basin is 6.2 million square kilometres, while the Colorado River basin in Texas barely qualifies at just over 100,000 square kilometres.

Even with fewer systems, Mars’ large basins were highly significant. Though they cover only about 5% of the planet’s ancient terrain, they account for nearly 42% of all material eroded by rivers. These regions likely transported the most nutrients, making them prime candidates for the preservation of life-supporting sediments.

Sediments deposited by flowing water are crucial indicators of where life could have existed. As rivers travel, they interact with rocks, dissolving minerals and creating chemical reactions that may leave traces of past life.

The longer the water flowed, the greater the interaction with the surface, increasing the chances of habitability. Mapping these sediments allows scientists to target specific locations for future Mars missions, especially those seeking signs of ancient life. Areas within large drainage basins, where sediment concentration is highest, are considered the most promising for exploration.

Implications for future Mars exploration

Most of Mars’ surface consists of small, isolated drainage systems, each potentially habitable in its own right. However, the 16 identified large basins represent the most significant and nutrient-rich regions.

Scientists consider these sites key priorities for future robotic and human missions aiming to uncover the planet’s habitability history. Goudge emphasised, “Identifying these large drainage systems is vital for planning missions and deciding where to seek evidence of life.”

Understanding the hydrology of Mars informs us about past water activity and guides exploration strategy for decades to come.