The astronaut recently posted a stunning time lapse video that shows what lightning on earth looks like from up above the sky so high.

The 34-second video, shared on both Twitter and Facebook on February 9, has thrilled thousands of enthusiasts online.

While the video has been retweeted over 7,300 times and liked over 8,700 times on Twitter, over 5 lakh people have watched it on Facebook.

"Amazing how much lightning can strike our planet in a short time," the European Space Agency astronaut wrote on the social networking sites.

"Flying from North Africa over Turkey towards Russia in this timelapse (this is speeded up; travelling about 5500 km would take around 10-12 minutes, covered here in 30 seconds)," he explained on Facebook.

It's quite incredible to watch the different bolts of lightning striking the earth in different parts. It almost gives the impression of a well-choreographed light show. Those of you who scared of the sound of thunder, don't worry, the video does not have audio.