Brillant displays of lightning shot from the International Space Station

This stunning time-lapse video was shot by British astronaut Tim Peake aboard the International Space Station on February 9, showing an electrical storm from his very privileged position.

Astronaut Peake tweeted: “ Amazing how much lightning can strike our planet in a short time.”

The video shows lightning occurring from North Africa to Turkey as the space station flies towards Russia.

The ISS completes an orbit of Earth approximately every 93 minutes and moves at 17,100 miles per hour

This isn’t the first time the European Space Agency has brought us incredible lightning footage.

Last year the agency released an edited time-lapse made from 49 still images taken from the International Space Station, in 2012.

ESA’s Nightpod camera compensates for the motion of the station.

The target stays firmly centered in frame so the final image is in focus. Astronauts can set up the device to take ultra sharp images automatically using off the shelf cameras.