Created by electrical discharges high above thunderstorm clouds,red spritesare a surreal sight to behold.

Though they can be hard to catch, photographerPaul M. Smithhas dedicated his career tohunting them down.

For Smith, these rare occurrences provide endless inspiration.

Explosive Red Sprite

They are so mysterious.

I love to be capturing something that is still in the process of being understood.

Every capture could hold another clue in helping us understand the processes.

Red Sprite in the Sky by Paul Smith

Smith hopes that his work will spark curiosity in others to understand more about the different mysteries of nature.

Sprites are very exciting because our upper atmosphere is so poorly understood and hard to study.

Paul M. Smith travels around North America to photograph red sprites.

Red Sprite at Night

These fiery explosions are triggered by positive discharges of lightning above thunderstorm clouds.

Red Sprite at Night

Red Sprite at Night

Man with Camera Equipment Photographing a Red Sprite

Red Sprite at Night

Red Sprite at Night

Red Sprite at Dusk