Does lightning come down or go up????

Answer 1

Lightning goes up, down and across but the strikes we see hitting the earth are primarily travelling UP.

A thunderstorm is generated by rapid air movements which can be seen in the rapidly rising mass of boiling cloud. This movement generates friction within the air that creates an electrical charge and as the droplets of ice and water fall within the cloud mass they carry negatively charged electrons to the base of the cloud. This causes a build up of negative charge at the base of the cloud and a positive charge at the top of the cloud.

Nature doesn't particularly care for this and wants things returned to a state of equilibrium and in order to redress the balance lightning jumps between the positive and negatively charged air mass. Most lightning is of this kind and occurs within the cloud formation.

As the negative charge builds at the base of the cloud mass it also seeks to discharge itself by making contact with the positively charged surface of the earth. Current will always take the line of least resistance so it seeks a good conductor such as a tall building or a tree.

The lightening strike begins as a 'feeler' or 'leader' which makes it's way towards the surface of the earth in a series of jagged steps, each in the order of 100m in length, each step can change direction which is why lightening can appear to be jagged and can fork in many directions. The series of steps creats a 'stepped leader'. At the same time as the negatively charged stepped leader is making it's way down to the ground a positively charged 'streamer' begins to make it's way up from the ground and once the two meet a 'channel' is created.

The process of creating a channel is comparatively slow, taking as it does, about a second. The channel acts as a conduit or guide along which the main stroke of lightning travels - this is the lightning we see and hear. It is called the 'return stroke' and travels upwards from the earth to the cloud.

The streamer and leader are weak precursor to the main bolt of lightning which delivers in the order of 20 million volts. This is delivered in an instant and heats the surrounding air so vigerously that it causes it to expand faster then the speed of sound - it is this shock wave of 'sonic boom' that we hear as thunder.

Sound travels at about one fifth of a mile per second and to detemine how far away the lightening strike was count the seconds and divide by 5. To determine the length of the stroke of lightening count how many seconds the rumble of thunder lasts for and divide by 5.

Answer 2

It depends between where and where the lightning goes.
Lightning is the dischage of accumulated static electricity. Because of friction between water droplets or ice crystals, some particles get positively charged while some get negatively charged. The positive charges tend to go to the top of the cloud, while the negativly charged go to the bottom of the cloud. Now, all these extra electrons need to go somewhere, to restore some balance. There could be a lightning coming down from the bottom of the cloud towards the ground. Or there could be a lighting going UP from the bottom of the cloud to the top of the cloud (actually most lightings should be between the bottom and top of the cloud. Of course, people on the gound need not worry about that kind, although aircraft should. This is yet another reason why aircraft should NEVER fly inside a thunderstorm cloud).

Ok, so the electrons go from the bottom of the cloud to the ground. But in the old days, before the discovery of the electron, but after that of electricity, it was decided that electric current would flow from positive to negative, in charts, diagrams and equations.

So, take your pick. You want to ride with the electrons, or with the old convention?

Answer 3

Does Lightning Go Up

Answer 4

Electricity shoots down in the form of lightning. Because of it's negative charge, this attracts a small stream of positively charged particles up from the ground, or wherever. The two meet slightly above the ground, but continues down because of the much greater energy of the lightning.

Answer 5

Although lightening appears to strike from the clouds down to the ground this is not the case. Lightening works similar to the way that flourescent bulbs, neon lights, and xeon strobe lights do. The gas has to be ionized before they can conduct electricity and light up. The starter in a flourescent bulb ionizes the gas. Once this happens the gas will conduct electricity and light up.

It works the same way with lightening. A charge builds up between the cloud and the ground but it can't jump the gap through the air. However, ionized air molecules drift down because they are attracted to the oppositely charged ground. Once they touch the ground this completes an ionized pathway that will conduct electricity. The charge from the ground then shoots up through this ionized pathway, completely filling all of the oppositely charged areas, causing it to light up.

Answer 6

Both the negitive in the clouds go down to the earth. While the positive from the groung goes up to the cloud when they both meet the light up causing lightning.

Answer 7

Most lightning goes from cloud to cloud. Most lightning strikes between the ground and the clouds start from the ground.

Answer 8

lightning comes down !

Answer 9

You know what?? the lightning you see in storms or whatever was actually lightning comming up... theres somkind of step where lighning hits ground... the first i think is going down which in naked eye its invicible... there are various steps but im pretty sure the one you see is comming up...

Answer 10

The static lightning formed by the static from clouds is brought down by the gravity.