Book 7, Question 28
Why Is Lightning So Bright?
A flash of lightning can light up the whole sky, even in the middle of the night. That is because the lightning channel gets incredibly hot, hotter than the surface of the Sun. Very hot air glows brightly, and lightning is a quick burst of that glow.
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 7
More fun facts
- The air in a lightning channel can reach about 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
- A single lightning stroke usually lasts only about 30 microseconds. A microsecond is one millionth of a second.
- Lightning that leaves the edge of a cloud can show a bright channel you can see for many miles.
- The heated air expands so fast that it makes a shock wave, which turns into the sound of thunder.
- Most lightning happens inside clouds. From outside it looks like a soft, flickering glow.
- NASA spacecraft have photographed lightning flashing on the night side of Jupiter.
Sources: National Weather Service, NASA, National Weather Service, NASA Science
Questions kids ask
How hot is lightning?
The air in a lightning channel can reach about 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
How long does a lightning flash last?
A single stroke lasts only about 30 microseconds, a tiny fraction of a second.