Ride The Solar Winds, Ride The Lightning
Wednesday, May 14, 2014 - 20:50
in Astronomy & Space
There is new evidence to suggest that lightning on Earth is triggered by cosmic rays from space - and energetic particles from the Sun. How so? They linked increased thunderstorm activity on Earth and streams of high-energy particles accelerated by the solar wind. Conclusion: Particles from space help trigger lightning bolts. Writing Environmental Research Letters, the researchers from Reading's Department of Meteorology found a substantial and significant increase in lightning rates across Europe for up to 40 days after the arrival of high-speed solar winds, which can travel at more than a million miles per hour, into the Earth's atmosphere. So what causes these changes? read more