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Photographer Dong Shuchang has been lucky and persistent enough to capture red sprites over the breathtaking landscapes of the Himalayas multiple times. This weather phenomenon is pretty elusive, typically spanning an altitude range of 25 to 50 miles and lasting for just a few milliseconds. So when he shared on Instagram that he had captured “the most stunning red sprite I’ve ever observed,” the world quickly paid attention.
“In the early hours of May 26, 2026, I captured a spectacular display of red sprite lightning by the shores of Lake Puma Yumco in Shannan, Xizang, at an altitude of over 5,000 meters [16,404 feet] above sea level,” wrote Shuchang. The photographer then explained that red sprites are a type of transient luminous events (TLEs) in the middle and upper atmosphere, occurring above the anvil tops of intense thunderstorm clouds.
“During this massive red sprite outbreak, I photographed numerous extremely rare Ghost sprites—the green glow generated when oxygen molecules are excited by the most powerful red sprites,” Shuchang added.
Understandably, the photographer felt the need to clarify this otherworldly sight happened in nature. If anything, he used a high rate of frames per second to allow us to catch the details of red sprites. “It’s neither AI-generated nor edited with special effects, yet it looks so surreal,” he said. “This is the clearest and largest sprite lightning I have captured in four years. Hope you enjoy it.”
Shuchang is no stranger to capturing striking images of celestial events, from the recent blue moon to the comet C/2025 A6 Lemmon soaring over the Himalayas. He was even named Astronomy Photographer of the Year in 2021 for his picture of an annular solar eclipse.
To stay up to date with the astrophotographer’s work, follow Dong Shuchang on Instagram.
Photographer Dong Shuchang captured what he described as “the most stunning red sprite I’ve ever observed.”
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