Lightning & the Ionosphere

What has lightning been to humanity for millennia?

• Well understood

• Fascinating and intimidating

• A predictable phenomenon

• Unrelated to solar activity

What is a primary challenge in understanding lightning?

• It is too rare to study

• Its complexity is only partially understood

• It has no relation to other weather events

• It only occurs during solar flares

What factor has been found to correlate with lightning rates?

• Earth’s core temperature

• Ozone layer thickness

• Sunspot cycles

• The number of hurricanes in a year

What type of relationship exists between solar activity and lightning?

• No relationship

• Direct and significant

• Only during storms

• Lightning influences solar activity

Which of the following best describes the “Electric Universe” theory?

• Lightning is purely a meteorological phenomenon

• Earth and space are electrically connected

• The Sun generates lightning directly on Earth

• Thunderstorms form independently of solar influence

What did a pilot’s video reveal about lightning?

• It originates from the Earth’s core

• It does not reach beyond the clouds

• It can reach the ionosphere

• It is completely random

Which new perspective does the video present about lightning?

• It is a simple electric discharge

• It is a dynamic process influenced by external factors

• It only happens when clouds are thick

• It cannot be influenced by solar activity

What role does technology play in understanding lightning?

• It has no impact

• It helps verify existing theories

• It provides new observational insights

• It disproves the idea that lightning is natural

What is a key claim of the Electric Universe theory?

• Lightning is generated internally by Earth’s atmosphere

• Thunderstorms are powered by solar electrical currents

• Sprites and blue jets do not exist

• Lightning is unaffected by solar activity

How does lightning challenge conventional atmospheric science?

• It follows predictable patterns

• It is more complex than previously thought

• It disproves all previous weather models

• It never occurs in certain regions