Lightning
Latest about lightning

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.

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.

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.

Eerie ring of red light flashes like a massive UFO above Italy. What was it?
By Harry Baker published
An enormous red halo of light flashed in the night sky above Italy before disappearing within milliseconds. It was likely caused by an electromagnetic pulse from a nearby thunderstorm.

Powerful laser blast used to control lightning for the first time
By Ben Turner published
This is the first ever real-world demonstration of the effect

Why does lightning zigzag?
By Tom Metcalfe published
The characteristic zigzag pattern of lightning is caused by a highly conductive form of oxygen that builds up as the bolt travels toward the ground.

Rare, 'rule-breaking' quasicrystal found in chunk of 'fossilized' lightning
By Stephanie Pappas published
A type of crystal that breaks the rules of ordinary crystallography has been found in a tube of melted sand from Nebraska.

Plant leaves spark with electricity during thunderstorms — and that could be altering our air quality in unpredictable ways
By Harry Baker published
During thunderstorms, leaves from trees and other plants create mini electric discharges that can significantly alter the surrounding air quality. But researchers are unsure if this is beneficial or harmful.
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