Only a handful of images of this rare form of lightning exists.
A lightning enthusiast has spotted a gigantic jet in a photo taken from onboard the International Space Station by an unknown astronaut. Frankie Lucena spotted the rare bolt while browsing through photos on the Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth website.
The exact location of the jet is unclear because thunderclouds are covering Earth's surface in the image. However, based on the position of the ISS at the time, the jet likely occurred just off the coast of New Orleans, according to Spaceweather.com.
Gigantic jets are massive lightning bolts that shoot upward from thunderstorms when the charged layers of the clouds get temporarily inverted, says Space.com. They mainly give off a blue light due to the high levels of nitrogen in the upper atmosphere and usually last less than a second.
Scientists have yet to uncover the reason why gigantic jets shoot upward rather than down like typical lightning bolts. It could be because of some sort of blockage that prevents the lightning from exiting the bottom of the cloud, but researchers remain unsure.
Gigantic jets are sometimes referred to as “Earth’s tallest lightning” because they can reach 50 miles high, all the way up to the ionosphere. They seem to mainly appear over water and have a habit of scaring airline passengers.