Watch: This is what lightning looks like from space

Have you ever wondered what a lightning strike looks like from above? No need to wonder anymore as an astronaut on board the International Space Station has photographed the phenomenon.

A high-resolution photograph, taken from 400 km above the Earth in 2012, released jointly by the European Space Agency and Nasa this week, shows a lightning strike as it illuminates the area around it.

An short timelapse sequence shows the clouds move and light-up the area as the storm makes its way across the land.

The International Space Station was travelling at 28, 800 km/h when the photograph was taken and dedicated tracking technology was needed to capture the image without blurring.

Using a special automated camera mount that tracks the Earth, the camera on board the ISS can take crystal-clear photographs, especially in low light conditions.

This dedicated ‘Nightpod’ technology compensates for the motion of the ISS, thereby allowing a longer exposure time on fixed targets on Earth.

As the target stays firmly centred in the frame, keeping the final image in focus, astronauts use off-the-shelf cameras to take stunning images of the Earth.