The Amazing Facts of Thunder and Lightning

Introduction

Lightning is the most spectacular element of a thunderstorm. In fact it is how thunderstorms got their name. But most people would be asking, what does thunder have to do with lightning? Well, lightning causes thunder.

Lightning is a giant spark. A single strike of lightning can heat the air around it to 30,000 degrees Celsius! This extreme heating causes the air to expand at an explosive rate. The expansion creates a shock wave that turns into a booming sound wave, better known as thunder. This explains why it has the name thunderstorm.

Thunder and lightning occur at roughly the same time, although you see the flash of lightning before you hear the thunder. This is because light travels much faster than sound.

Lightning and thunder

The sky is filled with electric charge. In a calm sky, the positive (+) and negative (-) charges are evenly spaced throughout the atmosphere. Therefore, a calm sky has a neutral charge.

Inside a thunderstorm, the electric charge is spread out differently. A thunderstorm is made up of ice crystals and hailstones. The ice crystals have a positive charge, and the hailstones have a negative charge. An updraft pushes the ice crystals to the top of the thunderstorm cloud. At the same time, the hailstones are pushed to the bottom of the thunderstorm by its downdraft. These processes separate the positive and negative charges of the cloud into two levels: the positive charge at the top and the negative charge at the bottom.

During a thunderstorm, the Earth's surface has a positive charge. Because opposites attract, the negative charge at the bottom of the thunder cloud wants to link up with the positive charge of the Earth's surface.

Once the negative charge at the bottom of the cloud gets large enough, a flow of negative charge rushes toward the Earth. This is known as a stepped leader. The positive charges of the Earth are attracted to this stepped leader, so a flow of positive charge moves into the air. When the stepped leader and the positive charge from the earth meet, a strong electric current carries positive charge up into the cloud. This electric current is known as the return stroke and humans can see it as lightning.

Making your own lightning

There are ways for us to make our own lightning, however, don’t expect it to be a huge one, or else it would be too much for you to take. Firstly, lightning is just a bigger form of static electricity. Particles in the cloud rub together to produce static electricity. Lightning occurs when electrons are attracted to protons on the ground or in other clouds. Static electricity is in relation with lightning. Static electricity is formed when an object rubs against another object the electrons move between them. Electrons move from negatively charged objects to positively charged ones. We can create our own static electricity; however, it is beyond our natural abilities to see the “lightning” when the static is created. Light travels too fast hence it is only possible for us to feel the static created. These static we produce are easily produced in indoor areas; this is due to the lack of moisture content of the air, making the atmosphere less conductive. Normally, materials are made of atoms and molecules that are electrically neutral, because they have an equal number of positive charges (protons in the nucleus) and negative charges (electrons in "shells" surrounding the nucleus). The phenomenon of static electricity requires a separation of positive and negative charges. When two materials are in contact, electrons may move from one material to the other, which leaves an excess of positive charge on one material, and an equal negative charge on the other. When the materials are separated they retain this charge imbalance. Charge induction occurs when a negatively charged object repels electrons from the surface of a second object. This creates a region in the second object that is more positively charged. An attractive force is then exerted between the objects. For example, when a balloon is rubbed, the balloon will stick to the wall as an attractive force is exerted by two oppositely charged surfaces, for example the surface of the wall gains an electric charge due to charge induction, as the free electrons at the surface of the wall are repelled by the negative balloon, creating a positive wall surface, which is subsequently attracted to the surface of the balloon. Static electricity is usually caused when certain materials are rubbed against each other, like wool on plastic or the soles of shoes on carpet. The process causes electrons to be pulled from the surface of one material and relocated on the surface of the other material. This is a way of creating your own static electricity which will form some sort of lightning when you gain contact with somebody else.

Another safe and easy way to make lightning requires a cotton or wool blanket. This experiment works best on a dry, cool night. Firstly, turn out all the lights and let your eyes adjust to the darkness. Then, put the blanket behind you and hold your fist out about six inches in front of your face. With your other hand pull the blanket slowly over your head, making sure the blanket brushes over your hair. Also, do not let the blanket touch your fist, arm, or face. If the conditions are right, purple sparks will jump from your fist.

Conclusion

The topic “Lightning and Thunder” is indeed interesting, where both are related. Lightning is formed when the negative charge at the bottom of the cloud gets large enough, and a flow of negative charge rushes toward the Earth. However, thunder is formed due to the lightning. As a single strike of lightning can heat the air around it to 30,000 degrees Celsius, this extreme heating causes the air to expand at an explosive rate. The expansion creates a shock wave that turns into a booming sound wave, known as thunder.