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| A photograph showing a thunderstorm and lightning. |
The night sky has always held wonders for those patient enough to watch—shooting stars, dazzling auroras, and the silent dance of the planets. But beyond these familiar sights lies a hidden world of electrical phenomena so fleeting and rare that most will never see them. Last month, against the dramatic backdrop of the Italian Alps, a dedicated sky watcher didn't just see them; he captured two of the rarest in a single, historic frame.
The photographer, Valter Binotto, already renowned for his captures of transient luminous events (TLEs), outdid himself on the night of November 26, 2025. In a breathtaking feat of timing and skill, his camera captured both an elve and a red sprite appearing simultaneously above a distant thunderstorm—a photographic achievement believed to be without precedent.
Decoding the Ghosts of the Upper Atmosphere
To understand the significance of Binotto’s shot, one must understand the subjects. These are not your average lightning bolts. Occurring high above the parent thunderstorm, in the upper reaches of the atmosphere, they are brief specters that last only milliseconds.
- The Elve: Appearing in Binotto's image as a vast, faint red ring, an elve (Emission of Light and Very Low Frequency perturbations due to Electromagnetic Pulse Sources) is the larger of the two. It can stretch up to an astonishing 480 kilometers in diameter—wider than many countries. It forms in an instant when the electromagnetic pulse from a powerful cloud-to-ground lightning strike travels upward and collides with the ionosphere, creating a disk of faint, red light.
- The Red Sprite: Anchoring the scene below the elve is the sprite. Often described as jellyfish- or carrot-shaped with tendrils of red light, sprites dance between 80 and 145 kilometers above the Earth. They are directly linked to the intense positive lightning strokes in the thundercloud far below, though the precise mechanics of their formation remain an active area of scientific mystery.
“It’s one of the most surprising and exciting photos I’ve ever taken,” Binotto told Space.com. “Elves are already very rare, and the phenomenon of double appearances is even rarer. I don’t think there are any similar photos in existence today.”
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| An image showing an elve and a red sprite. |
A Unique Moment Above the Alps
What elevates this from a remarkable capture to a truly unique one is the confluence of events. Not only did both an elve and a sprite occur at the same moment, but they were also framed perfectly against the serene, snow-capped peaks of the Alps. This provides not just a stunning composition but also valuable scale and geographical context. Binotto’s vantage point from the Pieve Observatory in Italy was key to isolating this high-altitude activity above the storm.
For scientists who study the complex electrical circuit between Earth’s surface and space, this image is a treasure trove. Capturing two related but distinct TLEs in the same instant allows for direct comparison and analysis of their triggers and structures. As reported in a detailed analysis, this single photograph provides a rare, holistic view of how a single lightning event can energize multiple layers of our atmosphere. You can explore the full scientific breakdown of this event in the exclusive coverage here: Two of Earth's Rarest Lightning Phenomena Captured Simultaneously in "Once-in-a-Lifetime" Photo.
The Chase for Atmospheric Ghosts
Binotto’s success is no accident. It is the product of patience, high-sensitivity camera equipment, and a deep understanding of weather patterns. Photographers and scientists hunting for sprites and elves typically train their cameras on the distant, high tops of powerful storm systems, often hundreds of kilometers away, and take long-exposure shots in hopes of freezing these brief phantoms.
While mysteries about these phenomena persist—how exactly they form, their full impact on the upper atmosphere, and their frequency—images like this are crucial puzzle pieces. They move the science forward from isolated observations to a more connected understanding.
For the rest of us, Valter Binotto’s phenomenal shot is a stunning reminder. It shows that there is still profound magic and mystery happening just over our heads, in the quiet darkness above the storms, waiting for the right moment—and the right photographer—to reveal its secrets to the world.