Can someone please explain how lightning is formed quite simply and quickly but still with depth?
Lightning is known to occur when a specific region of the atmosphere develops a sufficiently large enough electric charge to cause the electric fields associated with that charge to initiate the electrical breakdown of the air. While lightning is commonly produced in the towering clouds known as cumulonimbus, they can also be produced in snow storms, dust storms, and in clouds over erupting volcanoes as well as from nuclear detonations at sea level. Lightning can also occur in clean air, which gave the expression “bolt from the blue”. I hope this helps.
Lightning is formed when there is an electric discharge (release of electric charges) between two charged clouds or between a charged cloud and the earth. These electric charges in the clouds are formed when ice or water molecules in clouds collide and rub against each other.The electric discharge is accompanied by the emission of light, which we see as lightning.
Lightning is produced in thunderstorms when liquid and ice particles above the freezing level collide and build up large electrical fields in the clouds. Once these electric fields become large enough, a giant “spark” occurs between them, like static electricity, reducing the charge separation. The lightning spark can occur between clouds, between the cloud and air, or between the cloud and ground. The temperature inside a lightning bolt can reach 50,000 degrees F, hotter than the surface of the sun. The current produced by a lightning bolt can be in the order of 80,000 amps.
When rain falls from a thundercloud, the individual droplets rub together and build up a charge in the cloud (similar to how when you rub a balloon in your hair, it builds up static electricity). This is on a much larger and dangerous scale because of the number of rain drops involved. Once a big enough charge is built up in the cloud, the energy is discharged in the form of lightning into the ground (which is neutral) or another cloud (neutral or oppositely charged).
Lightning is a flow of electrons. When clouds crash, atoms are excited and loose electrons, the Earth is an infinite electron source, so for the balance on those atoms to be back, electrons raise from the ground, the light is from the photons (electrons “moving” into atoms) Actually its more complex, but this should be a fairly simple answer.
