We’ve all experienced thunderstorms and lightning. When lightning ashes and strikes the ground, it can be both an amazing and scary experience. But have you wondered how lightning forms?
Scientists have wondered this as well. The primary theories involve something called “charge separation” (we’ll get to that shortly), which leads to the generation of an electric eld within a thunderstorm. Also, recent studies suggest that the production of ice, hail and semi-frozen water drops in a thunderstorm are essential to the creation of lightning.
First, you cannot have lightning without electricity! All matter in the universe is made up of particles, and these particles all contain an electric charge, which can either be positive, negative or neutral. The most common building block of matter is the atom, which is made up of particles called protons, neutrons and electrons. Protons have a positive charge, neutrons a neutral charge and electrons a negative charge. Normally, atoms contain the same number of protons and electrons, which results in a neutral charge.
Now that we have a basic understanding of electric charges, let’s talk about how thunderstorms result in charge separation. The inside of a thunderstorm is a very turbulent environment, with strong updraft and downdraft winds regularly occurring very close to each other. Because of this, ice, hail and semi-frozen water drops get tossed around all over the inside of the thunderstorm. As a result, the top of the thunderstorm ends up containing an overall positive charge while the thunderstorm’s bottom becomes negatively charged. This is charge separation.
Because electricity generates between positive and negative charges, the charge separation causes an electrical field to be generated inside of the thunderstorm. This electrical field creates lightning within the thunderstorm, but it’s not yet enough to cause lightning to strike the ground.
When it comes to electric charges, opposites attract. erefore, the massive buildup of negative charge near the base of the thunderstorm can eventually create a lot of positive charge on
the ground below it. e buildup of positive charge on the ground can then interact with the buildup of negative charge at the base of the thunderstorm, and the eventual interaction between those positive and negative charges is what we see as lightning.
That’s what we know about how lightning is formed. So now the next time you see a lightning strike, you’ll also know the science behind it. But don’t forget that lightning is very dangerous as well. If there’s a thunderstorm happening outside, you should be inside.
