The world’s largest cosmic ray detector accidentally spotted elves, an unusual lightning phenomenon high in the atmosphere. Now it’s intentionally looking for more.
lightning
Posted inFeatures
Studying Earth’s Double Electrical Heartbeat
Charged by thunderstorms and other weather phenomena, the global electrical circuit connects the entire planet.
Posted inFeatures
Planetary Lightning: Same Physics, Distant Worlds
Lightning on Earth needs just a few simple ingredients to generate a spark. Those ingredients exist throughout the solar system and beyond.
Posted inFeatures
Lightning Research Flashes Forward
A greater understanding of lightning mechanisms is spurring the development of more accurate weather forecasting, increased public health precautions, and a more sophisticated understanding of lightning itself.
Posted inScience Updates
Returning Lightning Data to the Cloud
Scientists are assembling an online database with decades of low-frequency radio measurements collected worldwide to facilitate modern research about lightning, space weather, and more.
Posted inAGU News
Investigating the Spark
In May, we look at lightning—what it tells us about dangerous weather, how to find it on other planets, and what we might learn if we get all that data in one place.
Posted inNews
Mapping Lightning Strikes from Space
A new technique spatially tracks lightning in real time and has been adapted by the National Weather Service.
Posted inAGU News
Edmond Dewan, Citizen Science, and the Mystery of Ball Lightning
In the early 1960s, a physicist enlisted the help of the public to study a rare atmospheric phenomenon.
Posted inNews
New Study Hints at Bespoke Future of Lightning Forecasting
Researchers used machine learning to develop a model that can predict lightning strikes to within 30 minutes of their occurrence and within 30 kilometers of a weather station by using just four simple atmospheric measurements.
Posted inNews
Northern Europe Set for Increases in Lightning
As the climate warms across Europe, a rise in severe thunderstorms could bring a dramatic increase in related hazards, including lightning and hailstones.