Watch: What Lightning Looks Like From Space

— -- This is a storm-watching vantage point like none other.

A newly released video taken from the International Space Station shows stunning flashes of light as a lightning storm strikes Earth.

Taken from an altitude of 250 miles, the time-lapse footage was created using several dozen images captured in 2012 by an astronaut at the ISS. The video was released today on YouTube by the European Space Agency.

Since the space station moves at nearly 18,000 miles per hour in low-Earth orbit, it would be impossible to get a crisp image using a normal video camera.

The video was created using the agency's Nightpod camera, which accounts for the motion of the station and keeps the area being photographed in the center of the frame. The result: Breathtaking images, just like those seen here.