How are thunderclouds formed?

Question

What causes lighting?

I've been thinking of a way to harness the electricity from lighting strikes and I was hoping someone could explain to me what causes lighting. Any information about lighting would be appreciated.

There's no need to list a source but that'd be nice. Thanks

Answer 1

Lightning is caused by the buildup of oppositely charged electrostatics. When thunderstorms develop, electrically charged particles gather together to form static electricity. When the potential difference between two groups of electric charge, then one set of charge will flow to the other. The flow of charge is seen as a bolt of lightning.

Lightning flows from clouds to other clouds or from clouds to something on the Earth's surface. The clouds that lightning comes from are known as cumulonimbus clouds. These type of clouds form in a warm, moist, and unstable environment.

Lightning is a classic example of direct current, meaning it only flows in one direction. Lightning carries an average current of 30,000 Amperes, which is a tremendous amount. Since lightning is a form of electric current, it will flow from areas of high potential to areas of low potential. Lighting strikes some objects more often than others so that it can be grounded. That is how electric current behaves.

Thunder is a direct result of lightning. Lightning heats the air surrounding it to an estimated 18,000°F. The air will expand greatly due to such tremendous amounts of heat. The sound produced by the shockwave is thunder.