What is the temperature of a lightning bolt?

Lightning is one of the most powerful phenomena on our planet. A bolt of lightning can reach temperatures of roughly 30,000 kelvins (53,540 degrees Fahrenheit). It sounds strange, but even the sun's surface is a lot cooler! Its temperature is just 6,000 kelvins (10,340 degrees Fahrenheit).

Surprising, isn't it? But it's important to realize that the sun's surface is actually its coolest layer. The temperature of its core is about 15 million kelvins (about 27 million degrees Fahrenheit). So, we can't say that a bolt of lightning is hotter than the sun itself, as our star consists of several layers, the deeper the hotter. But it's true that lighting can reach temperatures 5 times hotter than the sun's surface. Anyway, due to the sun's enormous size, we receive a hundred million times more energy from it than from a lighting bolt.

More Info: news.discovery.com

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17 Comments

Bill Coe

Possibly very informative, but not enough to learn how to spell it.

Richard G Schwartz

Nothing gets between me and my kelvins.

David Holmes

It's Kelvin, not kelvin, you don't write Fahrenheits.

John McLardie

Technically lightning, being an electrical charge, doesn't have a temperature. https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-temperature

vickersfield

Bill Coe. Well said bill. A two second check could have informed the writer/editor that kelvin is UNCOUNTABLE. When doing these quizzes, there is a need to breeze over the glaring errors. However, if the writer has correctly written farenheit, but then written 'kelvins' it's beyond annoying! Two seconds is all you needed to check! Having now blamed the writer, I know from previous posters that it is sometimes the 'editor' who mangles this. So, whoever is responsible, please put your hand up. Now sitting back waiting for the "don't take it so seriously crowd...." to post. If you go to the trouble of writing a quiz question, please spend a little time checking it's English.

Bob Emmitt

It's degrees Kelvin, not "Kelvins"

Barbara McDonald

Wonder how they determined temperature?

Jacque Longino

Fantastic question.

Irene A

Bill Coe and Daniel Halley, were you guys always so rude or does it grow on you with old age, hope no one puts down your kids

George Oliver Prince

Good idea not to stand outside during a storm

Michael Fulthorpe

Bill Coe you're wrong m8 she did spell "it" right

Barbara Catalano

There are too many variables to say this is accurate. I.e. Relative humidity, distance of travel and particle composition to mention a few. The best that could be obtained is an overall average with a large standard deviation given the heterogeneity of the planet as a whole.