NASA Shares Stunning Picture Of Blue Blobs In Earth's Atmosphere Taken From Space

Two strange blue blobs of light shimmering in the Earth's atmosphere were captured by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS). NASA's Earth Observatory shared the picture earlier this month and informed that it was taken at night as the ISS passed over Southeast Asia. 

The image contains two dazzling white-blue orbs of light - one over the Gulf of Thailand and the other far on the horizon near the South China Sea. NASA explained that these two blobs of light are actually the result of two unrelated natural phenomena that just happened to occur at the same time. 

As per the US space agency, the first blob of light, which is visible at the bottom of the picture, is a massive lightning strike somewhere in the Gulf of Thailand. Usually, these lightning strikes are covered with clouds and not visible from the space station, however, in this image, the strike was visible through a gap in the clouds. 

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The second blob, on the other hand, which can be seen in the top right of the image, is the light of the moon viewed through the Earth's atmosphere. As per Newsweek, the scattering effect of the atmosphere, which is also the reason that the daytime sky appears blue, has caused the moonlight to appear the same colour as the electric storm occurring below. 

The little lights to the left of the moon are fishing fleets illuminating the South China Sea. 

"The Vietnamese coast and Thailand anchor the centre of the image...In the background of the photo, the circular shape of Hainan Island-China's southernmost province-is outlined by the lights of its coastal cities," NASA explained. 

The image was captured last year in October by an unnamed member of the Expedition 66 crew. 

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Meanwhile, speaking of stunning space pictures, earlier this week, NASA shared a mesmerising image of the iconic "Pillars of Creation". The picture showed a vista of three looming towers made of interstellar dust and gas that at times appear semi-transparent in near-infrared light.

The picture highlighted the presence and thickness of interstellar dust surrounding these pillars. The iconic creation is set within the vast Eagle Nebula, which lies 6,500 light-years away.