Electrical storms are one of the meteorological phenomena that has attracted the most attention of the human being since the most remote antiquity, provoking from admiration and interest to fear and superstitions of all kinds. However, current science is more than capable of explaining each of the effects and phenomena that these marvelous natural spectacles cause. It is easy to hear many people use the terms lightning and lightning interchangeably, but in reality they are not synonymous and they are different things.
If you want to learn what is the difference between lightning and lightningJoin us in this interesting article by Green Ecologist.
Difference between lightning and lightning - summary
In summary, these are the main differences between lightning and lightning:
- Lightning is the electrical discharge that forms between clouds or from a cloud to the ground.
- Lightning is the source of lightning and thunder.
- Lightning is the flash of light produced when lightning strikes. It is a giant spark that illuminates the area of the current during the electrical discharge.
What is lightning - definition and characteristics
With regard to meteorology, the RAE describes lightning as an electrical spark of great intensity that is produced by the electrical discharge that can occur between two clouds or between a cloud and the earth. So, these are the definition of lightning and its characteristics:
- Lightning is all about the electrical discharge itself. This discharge occurs when there is a difference in charges between two clouds or between a cloud and the earth.
- The difference occurs because of the ice particles that are inside the storm clouds, colliding with each other, producing friction. These shocks cause the charges to separate, so that the positive charge stays in the cloud, while the electrons are formed below it, on the ground. Electrical charge in the ground tends to accumulate and concentrate in the ground around protruding objects or structures, such as trees, mountains, or even living things. When concentration is enough, positive and negative charge connect, and the lightning discharge.
- Lightning travels at a speed of around 440 km / s, although it is known that they can reach peaks of up to 1,400 km / s and have an average length of around 1,500 meters, although some much greater ones have been recorded. The longest on record occurred in October 2001 in Texas, with a length of 190 km.
- A lightning strike has enormous power, being able to generate powers of up to one billion watts, comparable to that of a nuclear explosion.
- The enormous amounts of energy released give rise to the flash known as flash of lightning.
- Thunder, which also occurs at this time, occurs when lightning raises the temperature of the air around it above 28,000 ° C. This hot air expands and expands due to its increase in temperature, but when it comes into contact with the surrounding cold air mass it contracts again sharply. The shock waves resulting from this effect give rise to the sound we call thunder, of very high volume and deafening at short distances. Thunder travels at the speed of sound, which is 340 m / s, much lower than that of light. Thanks to this, it is possible to estimate the distance at which a storm is located by the time difference between when we see the lightning and when we hear the thunder.
Learn more about these natural phenomena with these other Green Ecologist articles on What is thunder and how it forms and on Why trees attract lightning.
Lightning types
Not all rays are the same. Depending on the circumstances in which they are formed and their behavior, several types are distinguished. These are the types of rays more common:
Cloud-to-ground lightning
They are the easiest to observe with the naked eye and the second most common type. It originates in a cumulonimbus-type cloud and is discharged on the ground, which can cause serious damage where it does. There are different types of lightning that go from cloud to ground:
- Pearl beam: it is a ray of longer duration than usual, which is separated into a whole chain of short sections.
- Staccato lightning: a ray of very short duration, which takes the form of a single flash of great light intensity and quite branched.
- Forked beam: They are those rays that bifurcate or branch their route in an easily visible way on their descent. It is more of a way of calling them than a formal type.
Cloud to cloud lightning
They are the most frequent and common. It can occur both between different clouds and within the same cloud, the latter being in fact the most common type of lightning.
Ground-to-cloud lightning
Although rare to see, lightning can ascend from the ground into a cumulonimbus-like cloud, instead of descending, as usual, or being created between or within clouds.
What is lightning
As we said, the lightning is the luminous glow created by the huge energy release that lightning causes. It is born practically at the same time as the thunder, both because of the lightning, and although its vision is very spectacular, the lightning itself does not have major consequences, since the electric discharge is in the lightning and the lightning is only the light spark that shines brightly.
Find out more about the internal topic of lightning, lightning and thunder with this other post: Are lightning and thunder dangerous?
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