PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - And now for something completely different: lightening exposing planes to radiation?
Old 14th April 2013 | 15:18
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le Pingouin
 
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 1,845
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From: YMML
Alright, I'll be serious. Yes, it's been known for a while that gamma rays can be produced by thunderstorms but the exact process isn't known.

The intense electric fields associated with thunderstorm accelerate electrons to relativistic speeds and they collide with the nuclei of atoms in the air, generating gamma rays. Exactly when and where this happens is as yet unknown.

Then there are sprites, elves and blue jets!
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