In a small lab at Penn State University, lightning may be happening on a scale smaller than a deck of cards. Victor Pasko, a professor of electrical engineering, and his team have shown that under ...

Inside a thunderstorm, warm air is forced upward in a strong updraft. As the air rises, ice and water particles collide inside the cloud, creating electrical charges. Those collisions build up ...

Scientists have known for decades how lightning travels once it forms, but the exact trigger inside a thundercloud stayed uncertain. A new study now offers the clearest explanation yet for how ...

NORFOLK, Va. — Lightning is a common occurrence in Virginia and North Carolina, but have you ever wondered how and why it forms? Think of the formation of lightning as if you are playing with magnets.

In brief: The process that creates lightning has never been precisely understood, but scientists know that ice plays a crucial role. New research into developing cold electrical components may have ...

Scientists have long understood why lightning forms, but the atomic processes at the core of the phenomenon have remained largely a mystery—especially the strange mechanics behind terrestrial ...

Globally, lightning is responsible for over 4,000 fatalities and billions of dollars in damage every year; Switzerland itself weathers up to 150,000 strikes annually. Understanding exactly how ...