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“Grand Cosmic Fireworks”

Sprites over the Himalayas.
Sprites over the Himalayas. Image: Angel An

The winner of the Skyscapes category was this shot of large sprites reaching towards the snow-capped Himalayan mountains. Sprites are large-scale electrical discharges that occur high above thunderstorm clouds, often appearing as reddish-orange luminous flashes. Unlike regular lightning, they are cold plasma phenomena extending vertically into the Earth’s ionosphere.