Red sprites photographed in the skies over Corsica

Photographer Florian Riou has captured rare images of “red sprites,” also known as “farfadets,” in the night sky over Corsica. The phenomenon, characterized by large red electrical discharges that resemble jellyfish with long luminous tentacles, was photographed during the night of September 16–17, 2026.

The images were taken near the village of Montemaggiore, close to Calvi. Interestingly, the storm that triggered these high-atmosphere electrical discharges did not occur over Corsica, but rather near Barcelona, Spain, at an estimated distance of 500 to 700 kilometers. Riou had been monitoring storm forecasts for the Spanish coast to identify an optimal observation point to capture the activity against the Corsican landscape.