From bolts to blue jets, lightning comes in many strange forms

By Andrew Dowdy, Principal Research Scientist in Extreme Weather, The University of Melbourne
Jennifer Catto, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Exeter
Robyn Schofield, Associate Professor and Associate Dean (Environment and Sustainability), The University of Melbourne

Lightning has captured people’s fascination for millennia. It’s embedded in mythology, religion and popular culture. Think of Thor in Norse mythology or Indra in Hinduism.

In Australia, lightning is also associated with important creation ancestors such as shown in First Nations rock art.

There are many different types of lightning – and many ways in which it influences our society and environment.

What exactly is lightning?

Lightning occurs due to a buildup of electric charge…

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