A photographer captures two very rare phenomena in the sky at the same time

The sky sometimes holds some surprises when we look at it. These can be impressive meteor showers or comets visible for several days. But last month, a photographer, who had already captured an exceptional event, managed to photograph the two rarest lightning phenomena on Earth in one shot. 

It was Valter Binotto who shared this striking shot. During the night of November 26, 2025, he managed to photograph two transient luminous events that are an elve and a red sprite. And that’s not all, because they appear at the same moment above the Alps, which makes this shot unique.

Regarding these two extremely rare phenomena, it is important to note that they do not occur often. Indeed, they only last a few milliseconds, making them almost impossible to capture. In this image, you can see an elve, which is a red ring that can reach up to 480 kilometers in diameter. It forms when a lightning strike sends an electromagnetic pulse upward into the ionosphere.

Sprites are also rare and still largely unknown. They take the form of a jellyfish above a thunderstorm and form between 80 and 145 kilometers above the ground. And needless to say that these phenomena intrigue scientists, as they don't know exactly how they form.

About this photo, Valter Binotto told Space.com: 

“It's one of the most surprising and exciting photos I've ever taken. 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.”

Thus, these images could help scientists to better understand these phenomena, even though many mysteries remain.