Prof. Dr. Holger Kersten from the Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics at Kiel University explains the scientific background.n
When dark clouds gather in the sky and a violent thunderstorm erupts, most people are fascinated by these phenomena. Although this spectacle occurs relatively frequently - there are around 40,000 thunderstorms per day worldwide - the phenomenon of lightning and thunder is still the subject of intensive plasma physics research.
How does lightning occur and why does it show an erratic pattern in the sky?
Why does the characteristic thunder sound occur?
What are the dangers of a thunderstorm?
The lecture will provide answers to these and similar questions in a clear and entertaining way. The lecture will take you on an excursion from the myths of antiquity to the groundbreaking research of Benjamin Franklin and others to current lightning research.
