A remarkable piece of footage captured in the Caribbean shows an extremely rare weather phenomenon that was once thought not to exist.
Filmed by researcher Frankie Lucena, the video shows a lightning-like flash, known as a sprite, in the shape of a mushroom sporadically illuminating the night sky.
Because of its 'tentacles,' this particular type of phenomenon is known as a 'jellyfish sprite.'
Incredibly, sprites were akin to an urban legend in the scientific community until 1989, when photographers finally captured one on film and confirmed that they are real.
Since then, researchers have sought to learn more about the fleeting phenomenon and may be able to glean quite a bit of new insight from Lucena's video.
It should come as no surprise that, given the sprite's somewhat alien appearance, some wishful UFO researchers have suggested that the footage is actually of an ET craft.
While its almost certain that sprites do not have an alien origin, it's entirely possible that a handful of UFO sightings in the past were actually incidents of the phenomenon being spotted and confused for a looming ET mothership.
Paranormal enthusiasts should not be disheartened, however, since sprites serve as an example of how it is possible for an unknown phenomena to eventually become accepted by mainstream science.
Perhaps someday Bigfoot or some other mysterious creature can stand alongside the sprite as something once dismissed as impossible that turned out to exist.
Source: CNET