Jun 2, 2026 · 22 min · 10 segments
Thunderstorms have captivated humanity for millennia, and yet their inner workings remain deeply mysterious. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, guest host and *Quanta* senior editor Hannah Waters…
Hannah WatersHost
Triggering a bolt seems to require extreme events more typically associated with supernovas, black holes, and particle colliders.
To learn more about these spectacular results, we need to hear from Charlie Wood, Quanta's physics reporter, who recently wrote a story called What Causes Lightning? The Answer Keeps Getting More Interesting.
Triggering a bolt seems to require extreme events more typically associated with supernovas, black holes, and particle colliders.
To learn more about these spectacular results, we need to hear from Charlie Wood, Quanta's physics reporter, who recently wrote a story called What Causes Lightning? The Answer Keeps Getting More Interesting.
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Supernova Debris Sparks Lightning
Imagine a star's death sparking your thunderstorm
Gamma Rays Inside Storm Clouds
Satellites spotted something unexpected in storms recently
Clouds' Tiny Lightning Rods
Clouds hide millions of tiny lightning rods
+2 more clips · 3 min 47 sec of audio in all
7 of 17
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