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Credit & Copyright: Sergio Montöfar
(Pinceladas Nocturnas)
Explanation:
Have you ever watched a lightning storm in awe?
You're not alone.
Details of what causes
lightning are still
being researched, but it is known that
inside some clouds, internal updrafts cause collisions
between ice and snow that slowly
separate charges between cloud tops and bottoms.
The
rapid electrical discharges that are
lightning soon result.
Lightning usually takes a jagged course,
rapidly heating a thin column of air to about three times the surface temperature of the
Sun.
The resulting shock wave starts
supersonically and decays into the
loud
sound known as
thunder.
On average, around the world, about
6,000 lightning bolts occur between clouds and the
Earth every minute.
Pictured in July 2019 in a two-image composite,
lightning stems from communication antennas near the top of
Volcön de Agua
(Volcano of Water) in
Guatemala.
Sky Surprise:
What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (post 1995)
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: lightning - volcano
Publications with words: lightning - volcano
See also:
- APOD: 2024 August 13 Á Giant Jet from the International Space Station
- APOD: 2024 June 18 Á Gigantic Jets over Himalayan Mountains
- APOD: 2024 April 22 Á Moon and Smoke Rings from Mt Etna
- APOD: 2023 October 2 Á Sprite Lightning in High Definition
- APOD: 2023 September 18 Á The Red Sprite and the Tree
- APOD: 2023 June 25 Á Lightning on Jupiter
- APOD: 2023 April 17 Á ELVES Lightning over Italy