Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 58. Chapters: Act of God (film), Aeronomy, Astraphobia, Ball lightning, Bidental, Catatumbo lightning, Counterpoise (ground system), Dirty thunderstorm, Distribution of lightning, Fulgurite, Harvesting lightning energy, Heat lightning, Keraunic level, Keraunography, Kite experiment, Klydonograph, Leader (spark), Lichtenberg figure, Lightning-prediction system, Lightning arrester, Lightning detection, Lightning in religion, Lightning rocket, Lightning rod, Lightning strike, Paleolightning, Radio atmospheric, Relativistic-runaway-electron avalanche, Runaway breakdown, Sprite (lightning), T.E.D.D., Thunderbolt, Upper-atmospheric lightning. Excerpt: Lightning is a massive electrostatic discharge between electrically charged regions within clouds, or between a cloud and the Earth's surface. The charged regions within the atmosphere temporarily equalize themselves through a lightning flash, commonly referred to as a strike if it hits an object on the ground. There are three primary types; from a cloud to itself (intra-cloud or IC); from one cloud to another cloud (CC) and finally between a cloud and the ground (CG). Although lightning is always accompanied by the sound of thunder, distant lightning may be seen but be too far away for the thunder to be heard. Lightning occurs approximately 40-50 times a second worldwide, resulting in nearly 1.4 billion flashes per year. Many factors affect the frequency, distribution, strength, and physical properties of a "typical" lightning flash to a particular region of the world. These factors include ground elevation, latitude, prevailing wind currents, relative humidity, proximity to warm and cold bodies of water, etc. To a certain degree, the ratio between IC, CC and CG lightning may also vary by season in middle latitudes. Sound of a thunderstormBecause human beings are terrestrial and most...