A lonely rover toiling among the sands of Mars has now answered an age-old question: If lightning crackles on the red planet and no one hears it, does it still make a sound? Crucially, the dusty ...

"Thunder is impressive," Mark Twain wrote, "but it is lightning that does the work." Anyone who's watched a lightning storm will understand what he meant: Lightning is one of nature's most ...

Talk about a bolt from the blue. Scientists July 31 announced the discovery of the world's longest lightning flash ever detected – a whopping 515-mile-long bolt that blasted across central U.S. skies ...

In a recent milestone confirmed by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a truly gargantuan lightning flash has claimed the title of longest ever recorded. Scientists measured it at an ...

Scientists have confirmed a new world record for the longest lightning flash in a thunderstorm complex, which hit the Great Plains 8 years ago this fall. The so-called megaflash lightning extended a ...

The powerful megaflash extended from eastern Texas to Kansas City in Missouri The World Meteorological Organization confirmed a new world record for lightning discharge distance The powerful lightning ...

DALLAS — A lightning flash from East Texas back in October 2017 has been certified as the longest single lightning flash in recorded history, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Volcanic lightning is a striking and multifaceted phenomenon that occurs during explosive eruptions, when vigorous interactions between fragmented ash particles, volcanic gases and environmental ...

Engineers across many disciplines are aware of and concerned with lightning—and for good reasons. A lightning strike can cause significant structural damage, house and forest fires, and severe ...

The powerful megaflash extended from eastern Texas to Kansas City in Missouri Brian Anthony Hernandez joined PEOPLE as a writer-editor in 2023. He was promoted to a staff editor role in January 2025.