3 ms·
This isn't lightning like we think on earth. It's only a few centimeters long which is why it's never been detected before except by microphone[0]. [0] https:/
by irjustin 11mo ago
This isn't lightning like we think on earth. It's only a few centimeters long which is why it's never been detected before except by microphone[0].
[0] https://www.kpbs.org/news/science-technology/2025/11/26/at-long-last-the-mystery-of-lightning-on-mars-is-solved https://www.kpbs.org/news/science-technology/2025/11/26/at-l...
- yesco 11mo agoWouldn't it be static electricity in that case and not lightning? Not sure if this is just a technical definition thing I'm missing or if lightning just makes a cooler sounding headline.
- moron4hire 11mo agoLightning is static electricity that builds in an atmosphere.
- zamadatix 11mo agoAnd a mountain is a bump on the ground. It does feel like "lightning" comes with context beyond how the charge was formed, even if it could be technically correct to say that's all it is. Of course almost nobody knows what triboelectric discharge is either, but sticking to "static electricity" fits well between the two.
- deleted 11mo ago[deleted]
- nomel 11mo agoLightning is a discharge of static electricity, but a discharge of static electricity is not lightning.
- moron4hire 11mo ago<sigh> In the atmosphere!
- deleted 11mo ago[deleted]
- deleted 11mo ago[deleted]
- deleted 11mo ago[deleted]
- nomel 11mo agoI think this is a mix of not having a word for this specific phenomenon, so inappropriately applying the closest, and the usual bad science reporting. They don't call it lighting in the actual paper, because not all discharge events are lightning.