Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Lightning on Earth

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for August 18, 2004 is “Lightning on Earth,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Credit & Copyright: Elizabeth Warner ( U. Maryland )). The original explanation runs about 110 words.

Lightning on Earth
Credit & Copyright: Elizabeth Warner ( U. Maryland ) Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Nobody knows what causes lightning. It is known that charges slowly separate in some clouds causing rapid electrical discharges (lightning), but how electrical charges get separated in clouds remains a topic of much research.”

— APOD editors, August 18, 2004

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
August 18, 2004
Type
Image
Credit
Credit & Copyright: Elizabeth Warner ( U. Maryland )
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 110 words

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.