It is nature at its most ferocious - and most beautiful: a gathering thunderstorm high above the Pacific Ocean, lit from inside by its own lightening.

According to Daily Mail, the stunning photograph was captured by ATAM Ecuador Airlines pilot Santiago Borja, who was flying over the ocean at 37,000 feet, heading towards South America. 

It wasn't easy: despite the clear skies above the clouds, the stormy weather meant the plane was being bumped around, while the light made the image hard to take the perfect shot.

'I love this photo because it communicates the incredible feeling of the power of Mother Nature and, at the same time, the wonder of being able to fly around it without being touched,' Borja told La Repubblica.