Department of Energy Argonne National Laboratory Office of Science NEWTON's Homepage NEWTON's Homepage
NEWTON, Ask A Scientist!
NEWTON Home Page NEWTON Teachers Visit Our Archives Ask A Question How To Ask A Question Question of the Week Our Expert Scientists Volunteer at NEWTON! Frequently Asked Questions Referencing NEWTON About NEWTON About Ask A Scientist Education At Argonne Thunder And Lightning in Outer Space 
Name: Unknown
Status: Other
Age: N/A
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: Prior to 1993
Question:
Is there thunder and lightening in outer space?


Replies:
Lightning is a huge electrical discharge; thunder is the sound waves produced by the very rapid expansion (due to heating) of the atmosphere through which the lightning passes. There is probably not lightning and certainly not thunder in the near-vacuum of space; however, lightning has been observed (by space probes) on Jupiter, and there is evidence of lightning on Venus, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn's moon Titan. No doubt wherever there is lightning on any of these bodies there is also what we would call thunder (but probably no inhabitant to hear it!)

Ronald Winther

Click here to return to the Astronomy Archives

NEWTON is an electronic community for Science, Math, and Computer Science K-12 Educators, sponsored and operated by Argonne National Laboratory's Educational Programs, Andrew Skipor, Ph.D., Head of Educational Programs.

For assistance with NEWTON contact a System Operator (help@newton.dep.anl.gov), or at Argonne's Educational Programs

NEWTON AND ASK A SCIENTIST
Educational Programs
Building 360
9700 S. Cass Ave.
Argonne, Illinois
60439-4845, USA
Update: June 2012
Weclome To Newton

Argonne National Laboratory