lightning
If Exoplanets Have Lightning, it’ll Complicate the Search for Life
Discovering exoplanets is almost routine now. We've found over 5,500 exoplanets, and the next step is to study their atmospheres…
Why Pulsars Are So Bright
When pulsars were first discovered in 1967, their rhythmic radio-wave pulsations were a mystery. Some thought their radio beams must…
Every Time Lightning Strikes, Matter-Antimatter Annihilation Happens too
A new study from a team of Japanese researchers has shown that matter-antimatter annihilations happen as a result of lightning…
What Did Cassini Teach Us?
In just a few months, NASA's Cassini spacecraft is going to die, crashing into the planet Saturn. Let's look back…
Astronomy Cast Ep. 424: Lightning
It turns out that nature figured out how to use electricity long before humans did. Lightning storms are common across…
What Causes Lightning?
Thunder and lightning. When it comes to the forces of nature, few other things have inspired as much fear, reverence,…
Rare Images of Red Sprites Captured at ESO
At the ESO's observatories located high in the Atacama Desert of Chile, amazing images of distant objects in the Universe are…
Astrophoto: Milky Way Rising Above Spectacular Lightning Display
Here's another beautiful astrophoto, courtesy of photographer Justin Ng from Singapore. He's currently on a photography trip to Malaysia and…
Navy Researchers Put Dark Lightning to the SWORD
Discovered "by accident" by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope in 2010, dark lightning is a surprisingly powerful -- yet invisible…
Weird Gravity Waves Pulse From a Tropical Cyclone
Last Monday, May 13, the Suomi NPP satellite captured a fascinating image of Tropical Cyclone Mahasen as it moved northeast…