A stunning and incredibly rare blue jet lightning bolt has been captured shooting upwards into the sky during a fierce thunderstorm.
The dazzling phenomenon – which looks like something from a sci-fi film – was filmed blasting from a cloud straight into the stratosphere.
Blue jets are one of the rarest forms of lightning on Earth, shooting upwards instead of striking the ground.
READ MORE: Wildlife lover builds bird box that looks like a real flat
- Advertisement -
They can reach heights of more than 30 miles in less than a second – and are almost impossible to spot with the naked eye.
The latest sighting took place over San Miguel de Tucumán in northern Argentina on Sunday (29 March) night, as reported by What’s The Jam.
Locals managed to capture the spectacular moment on their phones as an intense storm rolled across the province.
One clip has since gone viral online, racking up more than 662,000 views and hundreds of comments.
Blue jets occur in just one in every 1,000 thunderstorms and last only a few hundred milliseconds.
- Advertisement -
Their striking blue colour is caused by nitrogen molecules in the upper atmosphere becoming electrically excited.
They form in towering cumulonimbus clouds and burst upwards from intense electrical activity at the very top.
Scientists often rely on high-altitude platforms like the International Space Station to study the phenomenon as it pierces the stratosphere.
- Advertisement -
Social media users were left stunned by the footage.
One local said: “I’ve never seen anything like it, it’s amazing.”
Another local wrote: “Lightning doesn’t even want to touch Tucumán, hahaha.”
A third person said: “It’s Thor and Kratos are beating the crap out of each other in Tucumán.”
One person added: “It’s a Chupacabra returning home.”
And another user said: “Imagine being a cowboy in the 19th century and seeing this on your ranch in the mountains.”
READ MORE: Safari takes frightening turn as huge HIPPO charges boat
