How lightning is formed

Lightning is a large-scale electrical discharge phenomenon that occurs in the sky. Clouds in the sky, some positively charged and some negatively charged; Large-scale discharges occur when two clouds with different types of electricity are close to each other. The electric spark that appears when discharging is lightning, and the sound it makes is thunder.

Causes of the formation of lightning.

In thunderstorm clouds, air currents generate static electricity due to the friction and decomposition of water molecules. There are two types of electricity. One is the positive charge with the positively charged particles, and the other is the negative charge with the negatively charged particles.

Positive and negative charges attract each other, like magnets. The positive charge is at the upper end of the cloud, and the negative charge attracts the positive charge on the ground at the lower end of the cloud. The air between the clouds and the ground is both an insulator that prevents the current of the charge at the poles from passing through.

When the charge in the thundercloud and the charge on the ground become strong enough, the two parts of the charge will break through the air barrier and come into contact to form a strong current, and the positive charge and the negative charge will come into contact. When these opposite-sex charges meet, a neutralizing effect (discharge) occursThe intense neutralization of the charge emits a large amount of light and heat, and these emitted light forms [lightning].

Most lightning bolts are connected twice. The first time it is called a pilot flash, it is an invisible air called a leader, and it goes down to the place close to the ground. This stream of live air acts like a wire, creating a path for the second current.

The moment the lead approaches the ground, a reconnect current jumps up along the path, and the flash produced by the reconnect is what we normally see as lightning.

The cause of thunder.

It is now known that when the charge is neutralized, a large amount of light and heat is emitted, and a large amount of heat is released in an instant, which heats the surrounding air to a high temperature of 30,000 degrees Celsius. When a strong electric current passes through the air, it causes the air along the way to expand suddenly, and at the same time pushes the surrounding air, causing the air to vibrate violently, and the sound produced at this time is [thunder].(Don't forget to tell your little one that thunder and lightning happen at the same time, because the speed of light is much faster than the speed of sound, so we always see lightning before we hear it.)

If lightning strikes closely, we hear a deafening rumble. If lightning falls far away, we hear the rumbling of thunder. This is because of the echoes emitted by sound waves when they are refracted by the atmosphere and reflected by objects on the ground.

Thunder and lightning is a majestic and somewhat intimidating electrical discharge phenomenon accompanied by lightning and thunder. Thunder and lightning are generally generated in cumulonimbus clouds with strong convection, so they are often accompanied by strong gusts of wind and heavy rain, and sometimes hail and tornadoes.

During lightning, the cumulonimbus clouds move constantly with changes in temperature and air flow, and friction generates electricity during the movement, forming charged clouds, some of which have a positive charge and others that have a negative charge. In addition, due to electrostatic induction, buildings and trees under the clouds often have a heterosexual charge. With the accumulation of charges, the voltage of the thundercloud gradually increases, and when the thundercloud with different charges and the earth protrusion are close to each other to a certain extent, the electric field in between them exceeds 25 30 kV cm, and a violent discharge will occur, and at the same time a strong flash will appear.

Due to the temperature as high as 2000 when discharged, the air expands sharply when heated, and then there is a roar, which is lightning and thunder. The magnitude and amount of lightning and the activity of thunder and lightning are related to the topography, meteorological conditions and latitude of each region. Generally, there are more lightning strikes in mountains than in plains, and the higher the building, the more chance there is to be struck.

Lightning is an electrical discharge accompanied by lightning and thunder, usually generated in cumulonimbus clouds with strong convection. The top of the cumulonimbus cloud is high, and there are often ice crystals on the clouds, and the processes of ice crystals, water droplets, and air convection cause electric charges to be generated in the clouds. The positive charge in the upper part of the cloud and the negative charge in the lower part of the cloud form a potential difference.

When the potential difference reaches a certain level, an electric discharge is generated, which is called lightning.

The average current of lightning is 30,000 amperes, and during the discharge process, due to the sudden increase in the temperature of the lightning channel, the volume of air expands dramatically, resulting in a shock wave that causes a strong thunderclap.

When a thundercloud with an electric charge comes close to a protrusion on the ground, a violent discharge occurs between them.

At the lightning discharge site, there will be a strong flash of light and a roar, that is, "lightning thunder".

The conditions for the occurrence of thunder and lightning are the accumulation and formation of polarity in the thunderstorm clouds.