Where does lightning come from and how is it generated?

Answer 1

The sky, clouds, electrical imbalance.

Lightning is a powerful natural electrostatic discharge produced during a thunderstorm. This abrupt electric discharge is accompanied by the emission of visible light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation. The electric current passing through the discharge channels rapidly heats and expands the air into plasma producing acoustic shock waves (thunder) in the atmosphere.

Answer 2

Lightening forms inside thunder clouds. Clouds contain air currents, updraughts and downdraughts. Ice and hail rise and fall inside that cloud when they get caught inside these draughts. Ice forms high in the cloud and can come into contact with rain droplets that then freeze. This releases heat, so the surface of the ice is warm. When warm ice particles hit colder ice particles, positive ions form. The colder particle gets a positive charge. The warmer particle gets a negative charge. Particles are carried upwards by updraught and top of cloud becomes positively charged. Warmer, negatively charged particles are carried in the downdraught towards the bottom of the cloud. As the cloud moves, the ground gains a positive charge. The difference in charges between the ground and the cloud isn't enough though as air is an insulator. As the charges build up, the electric potential gradient between the cloud and the ground increases hugely. At this point the air can't hold back the negative electrons any more. Electrons run to the base of the cloud. As the negative charge gets close to the ground, positive ions move up from the ground and lightening occurs where they meet. This is why people often refer to lightening as travelling upwards.

Answer 3

Lightning refers to one of the several forms of visible electrical discharge produced by thunderstorms. It is essentially a giant spark that jumps between vast pools of positive and negative electrical charge that form inside thunderstomrs The primary forms of lightning discharges are cloud-to-ground , cloud-to-cloud Rare forms also include ball lightning. Lightning appears very bright because it is - its optical output is equivalent to some 100 million light bulbs going on and off.

Answer 4

Lightning is the discharge of positively charged particles in the atmosphere.

The ionozation occures due to friction of ice crystals and dust in the turbulent air associsation with thermal convection. This is why we rarely experience lightning during the winter months... not enough convective currents in the air.

It is not discharge from the upper atmosphere.

Answer 5

Lightening is caused by ice particles believe it or not from the earth and from the sky and it is also an optical illusion that lightening comes down as well that is why trees split as it goes up through the roots.

Answer 6

cloud friction i think causes the electricity and like all electricity it will try to get earthed and this causes lightning ( the electricity conducting down to the earth)

Answer 7

lightning is ceated when positve and negative charged particles hit each other in the clouds.The clouds hit each other at great speeds.the result is bolts of elecricity are created.Thunder is always followed after lightning is created.Thunder is the sound of the clouds hitting each other.

Answer 8

It's generated through high levels of friction in the clouds. Has to earth itself which is why it does what it does.

Answer 9

Electircal discharge from the upper atmosphere caused by imbalences in charge between the upper atmosphere and the ground.

Answer 10

the clouds hot and cold air mixing