What causes lightning? The answer keeps getting more interesting (quantamagazine.org)

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That 7 second video of a small rocket shot into a cloud to induce a lightning strike (about half way down the article) is incredible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BJIiX9_c_M

Any ideas why the lightning strike appears mostly green (and momentarily purple and orange)?

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Tl;dr lightings may be caused by electrons/positrons from outer space hitting a cloud and initiating an "avalanche" of electrons.

So, nothing new?

The cosmic ray hypothesis has been dominant for a few years now.

This magazine…

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If that new theory turns out to be somewhat right, there'll be something humbling about ancient greeks stories of Zeus sending Hephaestus bolts from ~'heaven/the cosmos' being closer to it than our modern explanations all along

There's a Feynman lecture abput electricity in the atmosphere that is interesting to read alongside this article:

https://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/II_09.html

emdash means LLM written article

Probably the same thing that causes my fingers to get a small spark when I'm walking in the grocery store holding a cart and touching the shelves.

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I found this article interesting but lacking. Lightning also sometimes travels from the ground up to the clouds. Storm clouds produce red sprites (there are some theories about these) and blue jets, that shoot upwards towards space. Then there's ball lightning. None of these phenomena were discussed in the article.

I don't think scientists fully understand lightning at all. (At least, I don't!)

The earth is a massive battery, and it loves to exchange electricity with us when we touch it. I think people forget this, and I guess since we have grown up with rubber shows and are of generations that wear shoes even at home, we disconnect ourselves from these free electrons.

They are free, and help reduce inflammation and stuff - they are like free antioxidants.