Menu
- Undergraduate
- Graduate
- Foreign Study
- Research
- Inclusivity
- News & Events
- People
Back to Top Nav
Back to Top Nav
Back to Top Nav
Back to Top Nav
Back to Top Nav
Dr. Joseph R. Dwyer Professor and Peter T. Paul Chair in Space Physics Space Science Center (EOS) and Department of Physics University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
Title: "Weird Lightning: Sprites, Elves, and Other Strange Things Found in Our Atmosphere"
Abstract: Lightning strikes our planet about a billion times per year, killing as many people as hurricanes or tornadoes. Surprisingly, despite its familiarity, we still don’t understand many things about lightning, including how it gets started inside thunderstorms and how it travels such large distances through air. In addition, many new and strange phenomena have been discovered in and around thunderstorms, including colossal jellyfish-like structures near the edge of space called Sprites; enormous, expanding rings of light called Elves; bizarre, bluish jets shooting out of cloud tops; powerful flashes of gamma rays emanating from deep inside storms; and large but nearly invisible discharges called Dark Lightning. In this presentation, I will talk about the mysteries of lightning and other weird things that lightning does.
Events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.