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- ⚡273-Year Lightning Mystery!
⚡273-Year Lightning Mystery!
Daily news that is actually intellectually stimulating.
Anthony Ao
August 05, 2025
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🔬 Cracking the Code of Lightning: Scientists Map the Exact Chain‑Reaction That Triggers a Bolt
Researchers at Penn State used high‑resolution computer models and data from satellites, aircraft and ground sensors to show that lightning is ignited by a runaway cascade of electrons.
Strong electric fields inside a thundercloud accelerate electrons already seeded by incoming cosmic rays; those high‑speed electrons smash into nitrogen and oxygen molecules, emitting X‑rays and spawning yet more electrons in a rapid feedback loop.
When the avalanche reaches a critical density, a visible lightning channel forms, heating the air to about 50,000 °F—five times hotter than the Sun’s surface.
The same mechanism also explains mysterious “dark lightning” (terrestrial gamma‑ray flashes) that release radiation without the usual flash or thunder.
This chain reaction also explains “dark lightning” (terrestrial gamma‑ray flashes)—bursts of X‑rays that satellites sometimes detect without any visible lightning or radio thunder signals.
Why it matters:
Solving this 273‑year‑old puzzle, first posed in Benjamin Franklin’s kite experiment of 1752, gives scientists a quantitative blueprint for lightning initiation. The model can sharpen storm‑tracking tools, help engineers design better aircraft lightning‑protection systems, and improve our ability to forecast dangerous gamma‑ray bursts that can endanger avionics and satellites.
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Stay curious,
Anthony Ao
The PhDLevel Team
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