Scientists guide lightning bolts with laser beams for first time

Lightning rods have been used to guide lightning strikes for centuries, but now scientists have demonstrated something a bit more advanced than a humble metal stick. Beaming a high-powered laser into the sky was shown to deflect lightning bolts, which … Continue reading Scientists guide lightning bolts with laser beams for first time

Perseverance captures audio and video from inside Martian dust devil

Dust devils are a common occurrence on Mars, but Perseverance has now captured one from up close for the first time. The NASA rover recorded video from right inside the dust devil, as well as the first audio of the phenomenon on the Red Planet.Continue… Continue reading Perseverance captures audio and video from inside Martian dust devil

Horde of the rings: Tree study suggests Huns’ motivation for marauding

As long-living lifeforms, trees can provide scientists with a way to look back into the past, revealing everything from a reversal in Earth’s magnetic field 42,000 years ago to a time in 774 CE when the planet was bombarded by a massive radiation storm… Continue reading Horde of the rings: Tree study suggests Huns’ motivation for marauding

Excited molecules explain the mysterious zigzag patterns of lightning

Lightning strikes are thought to occur almost 50 times a second around the world, but there is still much for us to learn about these incredibly energetic flashes of light. One particularly longstanding mystery is why lightning takes on a zigzag shape … Continue reading Excited molecules explain the mysterious zigzag patterns of lightning

Electric sparks from plants during thunderstorms may affect air quality

Fascinating new research from atmospheric scientists at Penn State University has found during thunderstorms, electrical discharges on tree leaves can generate significant volumes of chemicals that may affect the air quality in surrounding forests.Cont… Continue reading Electric sparks from plants during thunderstorms may affect air quality

Hackaday Prize 2022: Solar Powered LoRa Weather Station For The Masses

[Debasish Dutta] has designed a few weather stations in the past, and this, the fourth version of the system has had many of the feature requests from past users rolled in. The …read more Continue reading Hackaday Prize 2022: Solar Powered LoRa Weather Station For The Masses

“Gigantic jet” lightning blasts record-breaking bolt upwards into space

While a thunderstorm can put on quite a show for spectators on the ground, the best bits often happen above the clouds. Scientists have now described in detail the most powerful “gigantic jet” of lightning ever observed, which blasted energy equivalent… Continue reading “Gigantic jet” lightning blasts record-breaking bolt upwards into space