Abstract The discharge phase and time evolution of a 150 kHz high-power pulse burst discharge were observed. A vacuum chamber was constructed by connecting glass tubes on which a solenoid coil was wound. Burst pulses with a width of 1000 μ s and a repetition rate of 10 Hz were applied to the solenoid coil. A high-speed video camera and an intensified CCD camera were used to record photographs of the discharges. Observation of the discharge phase using a high-speed camera showed that the discharge occurs at the time of 40 μ s and propagates from the wall of the cylindrical reactor. Over time, the discharge pattern evolves, and a branched pattern appears. The number of the branches changes with time. The discharge blinks synchronize with the instantaneous power, which suggests that the discharge is generated and maintained by the electrostatic field generated by the sides of the coil. The propagation velocity calculated from downstream decreases with increasing pressure and increases with increasing power.