Ivana Kolmašová: Lightning Across the Solar System

Since Voyager-1’s visit to Jupiter in 1979, we have known that lightning exists outside Earth. Its existence has also been detected on other gaseous planets of the solar system. How do we study planetary lightning, and what do we know about it? Can lightning bolts be seen on Venus and Mars, too?

We can examine terrestrial lightning and its properties with accurate and fast optical, electromagnetic, acoustic, or particle measurements. But have we explored lightning on Earth enough? In search of lightning, we go to the planets of the solar system and the terrestrial storm cloud. We also peek above storm clouds where, if we are lucky, we can see dancing sprites, unusual colorful discharges reaching the boundary of the ionosphere.