Lightning is one of nature’s most spectacular and terrifying phenomena. The bright flashes and booming thunder have caught human imagination for centuries, sparking myths, scientific discoveries, and countless questions. While we’ve come a long way since Benjamin Franklin flew his kite in 1752 to prove that lightning is a form of electricity, some key details about how lightning actually begins have remained elusive—until now.
Lightning is triggered by charged particles within thunderclouds. But understanding exactly what happens in those crucial split seconds before the bolt strikes the Earth has remained one of meteorology’s great mysteries. How do the particles move? What forces push them to a breaking point, and what kind of reactions set off such immense energy?
A team of international researchers has now answered these questions using advanced mathematical models and simulations.