The Latin word relampadare reached our language like lightning. It is the glow generated by a discharge of electricity in the atmosphere. It is important not to be confused with lightning, which is the electrical discharge itself.
The lightning, therefore, is the light emission that accompanies the lightning. Thunder is also often heard in storms, the roar of which is generated by the wave produced by lightning when, as it passes, it heats the air. Lightning never reaches the earth's surface, something lightning can do.
Another term associated with lightning is thunder. Once the lightning has become visible in the sky, a loud noise is heard, which is produced because the air expands when the electrical discharge passes, and it is this noise that is called thunder.
It should be noted that lightning and thunder occur almost at the same time, although lightning appears first, since light travels faster than sound. It is said that it is possible to calculate how far a person is from a storm, simply dividing the time that passes between lightning and thunder (in seconds) by the speed of sound, which is close to 330 meters per second. To do this, we must count the seconds that pass since we see a lightning bolt and perform said division.
Rain, falling on the Earth, causes a natural evaporation by convection. In this way, as the rain falls, drops rise towards the clouds. At an altitude of about 2.5 kilometers, due to the drop in temperature, ice particles are also generated that, due to gravity, descend. The collision between the falling ice and the rising drops due to evaporation results in the formation of an electric field: when the charges are transferred, lightning is produced.
Due to the vivacity and speed with which the lightning bolts appear, the term is also used symbolically to name various issues or things that happen quickly or are sudden.
Lightning and rays are characterized by a display that is spectacular for humans, and this can be seen in the countless mentions they have received throughout history in all kinds of myths, ranging from the gods of Olympus to modern literature.
On the other hand, many people enjoy watching lightning during the fiercest storms, as it reminds them that nature harbors a force that is impossible to control. Also, while scientists see a phenomenon, outsiders experience a spectacle of energy that borders on magic.
It should be mentioned that lightning, lightning and thunder can also be a cause of terror for some people, especially for children and at night, since the violence of such phenomena activates their imagination and prevents them from being as attentive to the environment as in the moments of tranquility. When the darkness is interrupted without warning by the powerful light of a lightning bolt, elongated shadows are produced for fractions of a second, and these can be interpreted as strange presences by the most susceptible; If to this is added a noise capable of shaking the Earth, it is difficult to imagine a more terrifying scenario.