Lightning Definition and 262 Threads

Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the ground, temporarily equalize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of as much as one gigajoule of energy. This discharge may produce a wide range of electromagnetic radiation, from very hot plasma created by the rapid movement of electrons, to brilliant flashes of visible light in the form of black-body radiation. Lightning causes thunder, a sound from the shock wave which develops as gases in the vicinity of the discharge experience a sudden increase in pressure. Lightning occurs commonly during thunderstorms as well as other types of energetic weather systems, but volcanic lightning can also occur during volcanic eruptions.
The three main kinds of lightning are distinguished by where they occur: either inside a single thundercloud, between two different clouds, or between a cloud and the ground. Many other observational variants are recognized, including "heat lightning", which can be seen from a great distance but not heard; dry lightning, which can cause forest fires; and ball lightning, which is rarely observed scientifically.
Humans have deified lightning for millennia. Idiomatic expressions derived from lightning, such as the English expression "bolt from the blue", are common across languages.

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  1. physicsdick

    Higher Chance to get Lightning Strike by Large Power Consumption?

    Assume there are two tall building with same height, and the materials are the same, having same distance away from the storm cloud. Will the one building with extreme high consumption of electricity cause higher chance to get struck by lightning than the one building without ? Thanks!
  2. H

    Can a Community College Lab Simulate Real Lightning Conditions?

    Hello, I’m not 100% where to post this but I think it fits best here. I am currently a community college student who is trying to do an honors project for my electronegativity and magnetism course. I am interested in meteorology and know that there are aspects of lightning that are unknown. I...
  3. M

    Saltwater Pool/lightning Scenario for computer game

    TL;DR Summary: What would happen if a bolt of continuous lightning hit an enclosed saltwater space with someone swimming far below the surface? Hello! I'm actually asking this as a DM for a DnD campaign. One of my players trapped a bad guy within a large (30m/side) freestanding cube of...
  4. anorlunda

    Can lasers guide lightning strikes to a safe target?

    I like this idea. Very creative, but in retrospect it sounds obvious. Just create a path of ionized atoms.
  5. CALNNC

    Inductance in lightning protection

    A high frequency wire dipole antenna installed at 80 feet is fed with a balanced line, at the transmitter feed point is a 1:1 balun that the balanced feeline hooks to on one side, a tuner on the other. The 1:1 balun is 12 parallel turns of #12 around a ferrite core. The input to the balun has...
  6. D

    Lightning rod/cable to protect tent

    Hi all, I'm due to go camping with someone who is very scared of getting fried by a lightning bolt. The poles on our tent are heavy(ish) metal ones, presumably steel, and I'm guessing would not be thick enough to make it a Faraday cage? I had the idea of running a cable from a rod at the top...
  7. nsaspook

    History "The Lightning Tamers" (Nonfiction history of science book)

    A great channel. https://www.youtube.com/c/KathyLovesPhysicsHistory Kathy Loves Physics & History
  8. Astronuc

    Phys.org, 768-km (477 mile) US megaflash lightning discharge

    How often does something like this happen? It apparently stretched from central Texas, across Louisiana and Mississippi and into parts of Alabama, according to the image. https://phys.org/news/2022-02-longest-lightning-miles-states.html I've seen 'long' lightning bolts over a large city, but...
  9. T

    What Triggers Lightning - Revealed

    https://www.quantamagazine.org/radio-telescope-reveals-how-lightning-begins-20211220/ https://d2r55xnwy6nx47.cloudfront.net/uploads/2021/12/Lightning_1238x826_Lede_Video.mp4 Cheers, Tom
  10. xpell

    I What are the most energetic lightning "superbolts" ever measured?

    Hi! I would be interested in properly referenced data about the most powerful / energetic lightning bolts on Earth to get a good idea about their maximum possible order of magnitude (maybe depending on location?) Both direct measurements or indirect but well-founded estimates (e.g. satellite...
  11. E

    Extremely rare "ball lightning" phenomena caught on video.

    Extremely rare ball lightning phenomena was captured on video.
  12. TurtleMeister

    Stargazing Macroscopic Dark Matter Revealed By Lightning

    This paper suggests that macroscopic dark matter could leave a trail of ionized plasma as it passes through the Earth's atmosphere. If this happens during a thunderstorm it could trigger a lightning strike that follows that trail. https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.103.063024...
  13. S

    Lightning Strikes and Conductive Sea Water: Exploring the Effects on Marine Life

    Hello All Has it ever been observed or modeled from a physics or chemistry point of view what happens when a lightning strike hits conductive sea water? Because of the high current density and presumably high temperature, does the sea water dissociate into hydrogen and oxygen, and then...
  14. dykuma

    A mathematical description of the physics behind Aurora?

    Maybe a bit of an odd question (not really sure where it would belong on this site to be honest), but I was wondering if anyone can explain, or at least knows of a source that explains in a quantitative way, the physics behind aurora? Now I've seen websites like this that discuss conceptually...
  15. Stephen Bulking

    Lightning rods and Corona Discharge

    1) Q: Why does lightning strike high and sharp targets like a lightning rod? A: Assuming that there is a massive collection of charge, possibly in clouds of a thunderstorm, trying to get to the ground where there is a pool of the opposite charge through an insulator that is air. I believe this...
  16. mollwollfumble

    B Would lightning be possible on brown dwarfs?

    Lightning is well known from planets, and to some extent the bigger the planet, the more powerful the lightning. Would it also be possible on brown dwarfs (Y, T, L, M)? What about red dwarfs (M)? Other stars?
  17. Wrichik Basu

    How to prevent damage to my LAN card due to lightning?

    This is the second time lightning has damaged the LAN card in our desktop. I am yet to get my hypothesis verified by the ISP, but the indications are exactly the same as last time: the computer cannot recognize the LAN adapter. Previously, when the connection had problems, we could see the LAN...
  18. davenn

    20200108 Finally some lightning

    It has really been a crap storm season in my local region this spring and summer, just this dry heat for many months. The thunder started rumbling about midnite last night. looking at the weather radar and lightning map showed a reasonable cell coming in from the SW towards home. It was...
  19. M

    Ball Lightning Discussions/Anecdotes?

    New to the forums. Hoping to find a thread, forum, website dedicated to the discussion of/gathering of anecdotal reports of ball lightning. My mother's best friend witnessed what we believe is ball lightning in her home yesterday. She didn't get photos or video, but took some photos of odd...
  20. B

    I Problems with Einstein's 1920 "Relativity"

    Hi, I have been reading and watching a lot of physics lately but I have come across this problem. I have the basics of special relativity down, and it all seems clear to me. This is not in question to me. For example, I am reading a book on string theory by Brain Greene, and in it he covers...
  21. C

    Lightning Protection System w/ Inductor: Impact?

    If there's an inductor in series between a lightning rod and the ground rod, how will it affect the lightning protection ability of the system?
  22. G

    Tornado Biggest Lightning Thunder BOOM Explosion EVER

    I was a storm chaser for many years. I have seen 100s of tornadoes. I have seen all types of lightning, hail, wind, rain, etc. I thought I had seen it all until last night. Radar shows counter clock wise rotation moving east I appeared to me in the exact path. There were no lightning...
  23. G

    Let current from a Van de Graff generator flow through you

    Hi. I have two questions about the following video with a 200'000 V Van de Graaff generator: At 5:57 he touches ground, apparently feeling nothing. He explains this with a very low current and proceeds that the current from a 120 V outlet is high and might kill you. But with ##I=U/R## and...
  24. Wrichik Basu

    A significant increase in lightning during rains

    This year in Kolkata, we are facing severe trouble from lightning. In the previous years when it rained, lightning was much less. This time, even before it starts raining, lightning starts, and it reaches the ground, taking lives. As soon as the clouds start appearing, lightning bolts reach out...
  25. Wrichik Basu

    How does lightning affect appliances with no Earthing?

    It is not very uncommon for appliances to be affected when lightning strikes nearby. This mainly occurs because there is a tendency for the lightning to travel up the earthing wire, thereby damaging the appliance through a high power surge (at least that's what I had learnt). Some days back...
  26. M

    After a lightning bolt, what happens to the plasma?

    When a lightning bolt strikes the earth, the air molecules are turned into plasma which causes the "light" that we see. What happens to the plasma air molecules after a lightning bolt? Do the positive/negative charged molecules find free electrons in the air and resume to be neutrally charged...
  27. astroscout

    Possible Ball Lightning Event Recorded in a Wildlife Preserve - April 30, 2016

    Hi...I was wondering if you guys can take a look at an event I recorded back on April 30, 2016. The approaching storm with plenty of lightning led me to think this could be a Ball Lightning event. Those mountains are a wildlife preserve and there are no power lines or roads there. It was about...
  28. L

    Impedance under lightning current

    i'm trying to research what might be the difference in two electrical scenarios scenario same in both scenarios- we have a 18"tall x 4"deep x 8" wide carbon steel box, this is mounted to a building and electrically bonded to the electrical system throughout the building and most of the rest of...
  29. ISamson

    Could lightning be creating antimatter in our atmosphere?

    A recent article from phys.org says that a Japanese team of scientists have detected gamma rays coming from lightning strikes, which react with atmospheric Nitrogen and release a positron. Who would have thought that!
  30. E

    B Ball Lightning and Stars: Unveiling the Spectral Similarities

    Has the spectrum of a ball lightning ever been photographed? If so, does the spectrum look like the spectrum of any star? Could one say: the ball lightning is the smallest existing star?
  31. M

    Connection Schumann resonance and Lightning events

    I just spent some time on Wikipedia, learning about Schumann resonance, and had a question: How does the Schumann resonance relate to thunderstorms? Is there a direct relationship between the Schumann resonance and the lightning activity; the number of lightning events per second for example...
  32. Vectronix

    Lightning striking electric circuits

    Why does lightning seem to hit objects with free electric currents inside (like computers or cell phones) more than "neutral" objects?
  33. M

    Visible magnetism? Or what? (right after a very close lightning strike)

    During an intense lightning storm which led to a tornado warning, I saw something in my yard which no one has yet explained. There was ordinary lightning near the ground about 30 feet away. Then I saw the whole front yard filled with fine vertical lines, evenly spaced, maybe a foot or less...
  34. Toreno

    Stargazing Lightning ball - me to analyze this rare video

    Hi, Some time ago I was looking for lightning ball videos on youtube. I observed some strange phenomenon recorded on one of the videos. Before a lightning ball is created, some "dark" ball is coming from above and then it immediately changes to the lightning ball which is moving at different...
  35. J

    Why do flamingos stand on one leg?

    I have an 80 ft metal tower that is cemented into a dirt ground. It houses two small antennas to send and receive signals for wifi. This tower's power source is not a home. It has a dedicated line that runs directly to its own power meter. This tower is about 300 ft from a concrete home. The...
  36. C

    Electrical Efficiency of Ionized Air?

    Alright It's been over a year since I've posted and received amazing help the last time I did. Now I've a question I cannot seem to find an answer to. Say you have an electrical charge and use a transformer to step up the voltage high enough to where it arcs in air. Then you have a conductive...
  37. physea

    Exploring Lightning and Discharge: Understanding Small-Scale Phenomena

    Hello, I need to know a bit about lightning/discharge, in a small scale ofcourse. I have the impression that we can somehow (with a battery) charge a metallic tip and then if we put another metallic tip close enough, a lightning will be created. Is this correct? In addition, I would like to...
  38. C

    How do sharp ended lightning rods reduce the probability of lightning strikes?

    A few dozen years ago the endings of lightning rods were sharp. I read somewhere that it served one purpose - it enabled the flow of charge between the ground and the cloud, thus reducing the voltage and lessening the probability of another lightning. What I don't understand is why this sharp...
  39. D

    Cause of multiple paths of electrical breakdown?

    When a voltage gradient across a dielectric becomes too large, the material will break down and become conductive, mostly because of plasma ionization. Thus we get lighning, static electricity fingertip shocks, and tesla coil shows. But often during such breakdowns, there are multiple...
  40. B

    Lightning discharge's effect on rain fall velocity?

    When stopped at a red light during a thunder storm, I notice this: - I hear the intensity of the rain hitting the roof of the car - there is a lightning flash - for a couple of seconds the rain intensity eases up noticeably, then resumes - then the thunder clap follows a little bit later It is...
  41. I

    How can I get my insurance to cover full replacement after lightening damage?

    Lightening hit my house and caused a serious amount of damage. Outlets exploded out of walls on all floors of the house. But the worst damage by far was the second floor. So now we are fighting with our insurance to replace every wire in the house. They say only second floor wires need to be...
  42. B

    Making a bolt of lightning travel in a straight direction?

    Why does a bolt of lightning crackle into many different directions when it travels to the ground? Can a bolt of lightning be made to travel in straight direction, is it theoretically possible to understand and control lightning?
  43. S

    Mysteries of the Lightning Rod Underground

    I want to know when the lightning rod in the under ground about 200 years, what happens it..? specially want to mention it has been hit by more and more lightnings... so is it contained some energy source...? and there are no any plants that grown up... and even there are no any insects close in...
  44. T

    I Simultaneity: Train and Lightning Thought Experiment

    I am puzzled over einstein's thought experiment on simultaneity. In this experiment, a man is standing on a train platform. A woman is sitted in the middle of a moving train traveling towards the man. When the train is half past the man, lightning strikes at the same instant at both ends of...
  45. G

    Does a lightning rod also avoid lightning?

    Hi. I understand a lightning rod reroutes the current of a lightning around an object, e.g. building. The lightning will preferably strike the rod because the electric field is strong at sharp points and the air is more likely to be ionized there. But does it also avoid lightning by giving off...
  46. G

    Why does Lightning create Bright Bands on a Camera?

    I tried taking a photo of lightning with my smart phone. As the lightning flashed across the sky, bright horizontal bands of light flashed across the screen. What's the cause of this?
  47. Manoj Sahu

    Is it possible to create artificial lightning?

    I wonder if it is possible to create artificial lightning for an experiment. The technology has evolved at great extent over past decade. So creating very small scale artificial lightning for few seconds/micro seconds for experimental purpose
  48. N

    Effect of a lightning strike on stainless steel bolt

    Hello, I was recently onsite in the Philippines and the equipment owner stated their wind turbine had been hit by lightning. The only obvious damage was to the bolted connections at the root of one blade. One was sheared, the other bent. Does anyone have any experience of lighting causing...
  49. K

    Ball Lightning: Uncovering the Mystery of N_7^{14}, H_1^1, & O_8^{16}

    Homework Statement Ball lightning is a sphere shaped lightning that stays long before it explodes. they are sometimes created in a lightning storm. The theory says they are made of nitrogen ions surrounded by water molecules. the temp' inside is 6000C and outside 200C. Nitrogen: ##N_7^{14}##...
  50. R

    How fast could the Emporer from Star Wars lightning be?

    Remember when he shot it at Mace Windu? How fast was that? Does it mean Mace Windu can react at the speed of ligfht?? What about when he shot Luke Skywraker with it? Or Hano Solo? basic Question?: How fast is star wars lightning?
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