Why vertical lightning always strike from up to bottom?
By surfer222
@surfer222 (1713)
Indonesia
October 22, 2011 12:27pm CST
Lightning can be vertical or horizontal... In vertical case, why is the lightning always strike from up to bottom/ground but never the other way around (or the other way around is also happen but i didn' know)? Is there possible if the cloud create a positive ion on the bottom and the negative ion is on the upper side so the lightning will strike from ground to the sky?
2 responses
@phillyguy (3005)
• Philippines
23 Oct 11
Actually lightning coming from the ground to the cloud also happens it is called "triggered lightning" while the one you are talking about, the lightning coming from the cloud to the ground is called "natural lightning". I search it in the net before because I got curious about it when I saw a picture in some articles with the lightning coming from the ground.I check in my history of visited sites and i found the link, here it is I hope you find it helpful about your question www.nssl.noaa.gov/primer/lightning/ltg_basics.html
@surfer222 (1713)
• Indonesia
23 Oct 11
thank's...
i'm also search about ground to cloud lightning and i see some amazing youtube video that shows the lightning come from ground to cloud... it turns out that lightning can also happen from ground to cloud...
@phillyguy (3005)
• Philippines
24 Oct 11
your welcome friend.:) I'm glad you find my response helpful. Hope you can start more discussions like this or any other science related topics i'll be more willing to engaged in this kind of discussions.
@surfer222 (1713)
• Indonesia
22 Oct 11
Yes, that happen if the bottom of the cloud is negative ion, but why is the cloud negative ion is always at the bottom part of the cloud so the lightning is always from the cloud to ground? is it possible that the cloud create positive ion on the bottom part so the lightning is created from ground to the sky?
