Lightning
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Lightning bolt breaks record for longest ever recordedStorms in the U.S. and Uruguay set new records for longest lightning bolt and longest-duration lightning flash.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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Did Benjamin Franklin really discover electricity with a kite and key?Here's what historians have to say about whether Benjamin Franklin really flew a kite tied to a key during a lightning storm.
By Jacklin Kwan Published
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What if the speed of sound were as fast as the speed of light?The speed of light moves 1 million times faster than the speed of sound. What would happen if the speed of sound sped up to match it?
By Isobel Whitcomb Published
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7 solar system worlds where the weather is crazyWhat's the weather like on other worlds? Expect methane rain, global haboobs and a 10,000-mile-wide hurricane.
By Jonathan O'Callaghan Published
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Billions of lightning bolts may have jump-started life on Earth, study suggestsLightning storms on early Earth may have given the planet enough phosphorus to craft the first DNA and RNA molecules, study suggests
By Brandon Specktor Published
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Rare red sprite and blue jet create otherworldly light show above HawaiiA camera at an observatory in Hawaii captured a red sprite and a blue jet in the same frame.
By Stephanie Pappas Published
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Video catches split second before intense lightning strikeScientists captured high-speed footage of the moment before lightning strikes.
By Nicoletta Lanese Published
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Upward-shooting 'blue jet' lightning spotted from International Space StationThe phenomenon can be difficult to observe from the ground below.
By Nicoletta Lanese Published
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'Superbolts' are real, and they flash up to 1,000 times brighter than regular lightningScientists recently calculated the power of so-called superbolts — brighter-than-average lightning strikes.
By Mindy Weisberger Published