Lightning
![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WoY2VTwTMjBhFEq9NMKCUB-320-80.jpg)
Lightning is essentially a giant spark of static electricity, though much about how and why it forms remains unknown and the subject of scientific research. It is known that lightning occurs in thunderstorms when there is a separation of electrical charge within the storm clouds, which can cause cloud-to-cloud lightning, the majority of lightning that occurs in a storm. A charge separation can also form between thunderstorm clouds and the ground, leading to classic cloud-to-ground lightning. Thunder is the acoustic shock wave that results from the heat that a lightning strike produces. NASA research suggests that lightning flashes 40 times a second around the globe. Read about the latest lightning research and see amazing lightning photos below.
Latest about lightning
![Firefighters in a fire protection suit wearing firefighter helmet with breathing device and holding fire hose is extinguishing a burning house fire that is putting off excessive heat and smoke.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RXkxLEQY6GpfeNPVkdgHJW-320-80.jpg)
Can static electricity cause a fire?
By Charles Q. Choi published
It's commonplace to get a jolt from static electricity. But does it have enough electrical charge to start a fire?
![Venus.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/icpjJm2UUBFeg97vbARzqd-320-80.jpg)
Mysterious flashes on Venus may be a rain of meteors, new study suggests
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Bright flashes in the clouds of Venus once thought to be lightning strikes may have a cosmic origin.
![Streaks of red lightning in the night sky](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/agJjNjWidbsyvdvthC5ZWR-320-80.jpg)
Eerie, ultra-detailed photo of a lightning 'sprite' exposes one of nature's least understood phenomena
By Harry Baker published
An astronomer in Slovakia captured the rare luminous phenomenon as it briefly flashed in Earth's upper atmosphere during a thunderstorm.
![Three images of red lightning bolts sprouting upward like trees out of a dark storm cloud](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/N3pNP9NPi4vJnG6i2gUSdg-320-80.jpg)
Photographer captures rare 'gigantic jets' of upside-down lightning blasting out of Atlantic hurricane
By Brandon Specktor published
Gigantic jets, which are 50 times more powerful than typical lightning bolts and can reach the edge of space, were seen erupting out of Hurricane Franklin near Puerto Rico.
![A person hikes on a mountain as a lightning strike hits overhead against a dark blue sky.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PcJyY9mrEYkAKbWToL9cNW-320-80.jpg)
What happens if you get struck by lightning… and survive?
By Joanna Thompson published
Lightning is terrifying, but it's not always deadly. Here's what it does to the human body.
![Lightning crackles in the sky above the U.K. in first images from Europe's new weather satellite.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Tfpn57Zp4SuHXGMeDAAdkm-320-80.gif)
Watch thousands of lightning bolts crackle over Europe in stunning new satellite video
By Tereza Pultarova published
Stunning first videos from a new space-borne instrument designed to improve the monitoring of thunderstorms show the crackle of lightning over Europe, Africa and the Atlantic Ocean.
![The underwater Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano eruption on Jan. 15, 2022.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/y8FzWrL9vjX8wUrvzMWwaV-320-80.jpg)
Tonga 2022 eruption triggered the most intense lightning storm ever recorded
By Kiley Price published
The plume generated during the 2022 Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcanic eruption in Tonga created the perfect conditions for a "supercharged" lightning storm.
![Hundreds of lightning bolts illuminate the night sky during thunderstorm](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zGwMxtaHBeMaDRCSZWGaFB-320-80.jpg)
Electrifying time-lapse image captures 100 lightning bolts torching the sky over Turkey
By Harry Baker published
The photographer combined individual images collected over a 50-minute period during an intense thunderstorm in Turkey.
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