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What causes lightning? The answer keeps getting more interesting

quantamagazine.org

31–40 of 61 posts

Re: What causes lightning? The answer keeps getting more interesting

#31
post #22

Tl;dr lightings may be caused by electrons/positrons from outer space hitting a cloud and initiating an "avalanche" of electrons.

There’s a video of an EF5 tornado from the last 24-48 hours that shows continuous lightning in the background. There hasn’t been an increase in background cosmic rays, so likely the mechanism for lightning generation is likely a continuum in different scenarios. Cosmic rays are one, but not all.

I tried to find this after reading your comment and the amount of nonsense AI tornado videos is a lot to wade through. Wasn't able to find it.

Re: What causes lightning? The answer keeps getting more interesting

#32
post #5

[flagged]

Neutrons, neutrinos, photons, Z bosons and Higgs bosons are all neutral particles and carry no charge.

no detectable ELECTRICAL charge, but they do contain "energy", and do attract with other particles, so I am still ABSOLUTLY totaly correct in my statement. "the universe is an energy gradient", and one of the few absolutes

Re: What causes lightning? The answer keeps getting more interesting

#33
post #16
post #8

So, nothing new? The cosmic ray hypothesis has been dominant for a few years now. This magazine…

> So, nothing new? > The cosmic ray hypothesis has been dominant for a few years now. > This magazine… I think saying "This magazine…" as if the flaws of Quanta are well understood and agreed may need additional elaboration. If you mean that experts have known this—well, the role of Quanta is to disseminate and explain expert research to scientifically literate non-experts; it is not meant to be distributing the late…

Well, let's say I just don't understand the popularity of this magazine on HN.

Re: What causes lightning? The answer keeps getting more interesting

#36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I always wanted to replicate this with a helium balloon and a long, wet string coated with copper filings.

Maybe just salt water and skip the filings?

Even better, use hydrogen!

Re: What causes lightning? The answer keeps getting more interesting

#37
post #3

That 7 second video of a small rocket shot into a cloud to induce a lightning strike (about half way down the article) is incredible. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BJIiX9_c_M Any ideas why the lightning strike appears mostly green (and momentarily purple and orange)?

Why don't we do this on the norm and somehow harness the energy?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvesting_lightning_energy

Re: What causes lightning? The answer keeps getting more interesting

#38
post #3

That 7 second video of a small rocket shot into a cloud to induce a lightning strike (about half way down the article) is incredible. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BJIiX9_c_M Any ideas why the lightning strike appears mostly green (and momentarily purple and orange)?

Why don't we do this on the norm and somehow harness the energy? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvesting_lightning_energy

Prize is too low. Says it only delivers 38 gallons of gas equivalent energy, assuming no loss which there will be.
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