Scientists have uncovered the exact mechanism of lightning occurrence

Lightning occurs when electric fields in thunderstorm clouds accelerate electrons that collide with air molecules and create X-rays.

This is the conclusion reached by scientists from the University of Pennsylvania. The results of the study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres (JGRA).

For a long time, physicists believed that lightning is a simple electrical discharge circulating between thunderstorm clouds and the surface of the Earth.

However, a new study by experts has shown that this natural phenomenon can occur in a more complex way.

Scientists used a mathematical model to explain how X-ray flashes appear in the atmosphere before lightning.

According to them, it all starts with electrons that are produced by cosmic rays.

These particles are accelerated by electric fields inside thunderclouds, collide with air molecules, and produce X-rays.

This, in turn, sets off a chain reaction that eventually leads to lightning. Such a phenomenon is known as an Earth gamma-ray burst.

“Our results provide the first precise quantitative explanation of how lightning occurs in nature,” said the study leader, Prof. Viktor Pasko.