where does lightning come from?

Answer 1

An interesting first answer.

The dynamics of lightning are complicated and there are some parts of the process which are not fully understood.

Basically what happens is that the lower layer of cloud becomes negatively charged and the upper layer becomes positively charged. No-one knows for certain how this happens and there are two possible theories - convection and precipitation.

At the same time the base of the cloud is gaining a negative charge the surface of the earth is building up a positive charge and, just like magnets, the positive and negative are attracted to each other. So much so that if a storm moves then the positive charge on the ground follows it's movements.

Eventually the charges build up to such an extent that there's a huge spark between the two - lightning. This is natures way of balancing out the positive and negative charges. The atmosphere is a good insulator so a huge charge has to build up before lightning can happen.

Most lightning actually occurs within the clouds themselves between the negative at the bottom and the positive at the top.

Immediately before you see a stroke of lightning a path is created between the cloud and earth. Coming down from the cloud is a 'leader' and reaching up from the earth is a 'streamer'. This path is created in a series of zig zags and happens in the blink of an eye. As soon as contact is made between the leader and streamer a series of very rapid strokes of light travel up and down the path several times and it's for this reason that you will sometimes notice lightning flickering.

In a cloud to ground strike a huge electrical discharge occurs in which the negative charge from the cloud is discharged to earth and immediately there's a return stroke from earth back to the cloud. It's this very bright flash that we see as lightning and although it's very bright the actual path it takes is only an inch or two wide.

In case you're wondering - thunder is the result of lightning. The energy in the electrical discharge superheats the air surrounding it causing the air to expand so fast that it breaks the sound barier and it's this 'sonic boom' that we hear as thunder.

These are the basics - there's all sorts of other things happening in a lightning storm including ball lightning, blue-jets, sprites and other strange phenomena that we're only now begining to understand. There's also lightning that seem to come from nowhere (this is where the term 'a bolt from the blue' comes from).

Answer 2

lightning comes from the sky. But if we are to dig deeper, we are to find that lightning really comes from lightning bugs. At certain times of the year, lightning bugs will fly high up into the clouds. This is a lightning bug's mating ground - the clouds. This is why many times before you observe a single lightning bolt striking the ground, you will see the clouds lighting up in the night sky. Flashes of light, here and there within a single cloud or series of clouds is a sign of lightning bugs mating. This is because the lightning bugs are doing their mating dance, causing excitement and friction and an increase in static electricity within the clouds.

In time, the lightning bug mating dance will reach a fever pitch and the light and energy may not be contained any more. Collectively, lightning bugs will flash at the same time and as this flash becomes more precise and intense a great energy builds up in the clouds that must be released. Finally, the energy needs to escape and a bolt of lightning is sent from the clouds to the ground below, connecting heaven and earth, lightning bugs and power stations, energy with matter.

Answer 3

The confusion is accessible in through fact what you notice as lightning is the seen effect of a marginally longer technique that "makes the relationship" between cloud and floor. portion of that technique does contain "helpful leaders" of charged debris becoming up from products the floor to fulfill "step leaders" coming down from the cloud. whilst those 2 tendrils of debris meet, a connection is formed and BLAM, the helpful debris rush down into the earth, burning each and each of how. The "connection" might actually linger for a 2d or 2, ensuing in double-flashes of lightning. The left portion of the appropriate image shows an upward-becoming "helpful chief" coming from a pole that replaced into no longer incredibly hit by potential of lightning. wish that helps!

Answer 4

clouds