Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2019 July 29
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                     Lightning over the Volcano of Water
   Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Sergio Montúfar ([4]Pinceladas Nocturnas)

   Explanation: Have you ever watched a lightning storm in awe? Join the
   crowd. Details of what causes [5]lightning are still [6]being
   researched, but it is known that inside some clouds, internal updrafts
   cause collisions between ice and [7]snow that slowly [8]separate
   charges between cloud tops and bottoms The [9]rapid electrical
   discharges that are [10]lightning soon result. [11]Lightning usually
   takes a jagged course, [12]rapidly heating a thin column of air to
   about three times the surface temperature of the [13]Sun. The resulting
   [14]shock wave starts [15]supersonically and decays into the [16]loud
   sound known as [17]thunder. On average, around the world, about
   [18]6,000 lightning bolts occur between clouds and the [19]Earth every
   minute. [20]Pictured earlier this month in a two-image composite,
   lightning stems from communication antennas near the top of [21]Volcán
   de Agua (Volcano of Water) in [22]Guatemala.

                  Tomorrow's picture: flying without stars
     __________________________________________________________________

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    Authors & editors: [34]Robert Nemiroff ([35]MTU) & [36]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([37]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [38]Specific rights apply.
              [39]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [40]ASD at [41]NASA / [42]GSFC
                           & [43]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1907/LightningVolcano_Montufar_1440.jpg
   3. https://www.flickr.com/people/m_acubens/
   4. https://www.flickr.com/photos/m_acubens/
   5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning
   6. https://preview.redd.it/j2upahwnd5bz.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=d8516b8ee21b210700f8b955c5ec8d6be782a95e
   7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap180121.html
   8. https://ghrc.nsstc.nasa.gov/home/sites/default/files/thundercloud.gif
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120723.html
  10. https://ghrc.nsstc.nasa.gov/lightning/
  11. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn65RFvJKnk
  12. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulgurite
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090405.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap031115.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070819.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100427.html
  17. http://www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_info/thunder2.html
  18. https://www.lightningmaps.org/?lang=en#m=oss;t=3;s=0;o=0;b=;ts=0;
  19. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/earth/in-depth/
  20. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2zjDdS3NzQ
  21. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcán_de_Agua
  22. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guatemala
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190728.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  27. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  32. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=190729
  33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190730.html
  34. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  35. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  36. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  37. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  38. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  39. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  40. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  41. https://www.nasa.gov/
  42. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  43. http://www.mtu.edu/