“Red sprites” are short-lived, red flashes that occur about 80 kilometers (50 miles) up in the atmosphere. These electrical discharges can extend 20 to 30 kilometers up into the atmosphere and are connected to thunderstorms and lightning. Red sprites are difficult to observe because they last for just a few milliseconds and occur above thunderstorms. So, usually, they are blocked from view on the ground by the same clouds that produce them. They send pulses of electrical energy up toward the edge of space – the electrically charged layer known as the ionosphere – instead of down to Earth’s surface. They are rich with radio noise, and can sometimes occur in bunches.

Full story here.http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/2012/07/11/red-sprite-captured-international-space-station/