‘Gigantic jet’ lightning is a mystery. These researchers are solving it.

An ordinary lightning bolt can be startling enough, but researchers are unlocking the secrets behind a rarely observed species of electrical discharge called “gigantic jets.” These are extraordinary bursts of light from the top of clouds that can brush up as high as the edge of space.

Only five observations of these jets are made in an average year, usually by accident. Sometimes lucky photographers capture them in long-exposure images, and once in a while they’re spotted by weather satellites.