While photographing New Zealand’s dark skies last weekend, the heavens aligned for Dan Zafra as he captured lightning sprites appearing in front of the Milky Way’s galactic core.
Zafra, known for his website Capture the Atlas, says this may be the first time a rare and elusive lightning sprite has been photographed with the Southern Hemisphere’s Milky Way in the same frame.
“On the night of October 11, I was shooting under perfectly clear skies when I began to notice faint lightning on the horizon coming from a distant thunderstorm over the Southern Alps,” Zafra says. PetaPixel.
“At first they looked like normal lightning bolts, but after a few test shots I realized my camera was capturing red sprites.”
Red sprites, Zafra explains, are brief, large-scale electrical discharges that occur above thunderstorms, reaching altitudes of up to 90 kilometers (56 miles).
“They are almost impossible to see with the naked eye and only last a few milliseconds,” he continues. “Even storm chasers who spend their lives chasing lightning in places like Oklahoma or Texas can go years without witnessing it.”
Zafra calls his experience “truly remarkable,” and it was made even more magical by the Milky Way’s galactic core lining up perfectly behind the sprites.
“It was one of those moments where you know you’re seeing something you’ll probably never see again,” he adds.
Zafra was on the Clay Cliffs on New Zealand’s South Island when he took the photos. He used a Sony a7 III, Sony GM 24mm f/1.4 to capture the photo. The first shot is a two minute exposure, which was mixed with the 10 second sky exposure.
“I also created a time-lapse video that shows these sprites flashing in real time. Since they only last a fraction of a second, the video shows how sudden and powerful they are,” says Zafra.
Red sprites are among the rarest and least understood natural light phenomena. They were first recorded on camera in 1989, and only a few photographers in the world have captured them in great detail.
They occur above powerful thunderstorms when positive lightning discharges reach the ionosphere. Capturing them requires a mix of perfect conditions, patience and a lot of luck.
“Seeing them move across the sky was fascinating,” adds Zafra. “The video adds another layer of perspective, revealing how these short-lived bursts of energy connect Earth’s atmosphere to space in the blink of an eye.”
Zafra says that to his knowledge, this is the first time red sprites have been documented with the Southern Hemisphere’s Milky Way. The aurora australis can also be seen as a faint glow.
“This shows how ephemeral weather events and timeless cosmic structures can align in the same frame,” adds Zafra. “It’s moments like these that remind me why I spend so many nights under the stars.”
PetaPixel has already featured Zafra’s nights under the stars: earlier this year, he captured a sublime photo of the lunar eclipse with the lights of the aurora.
Other photographs by Dan Zafra are available at Capture the Atlas‘website, Facebook and Instagram.
Image credits: All photos by Dan Zafra
