Study unravels mystery of ‘gigantic jet’ lightning bursts that rise miles into space

Scientists suspect weather phenomenon may have an impact on operation of satellites in low-earth orbit

Scientists studying a thunderstorm in Oklahoma found that its electrical discharge was 100 times as powerful as that from a typical lightning bolt, an advance that sheds more light on this rare atmospheric phenomenon.

Researchers, including those from Georgia Institute of Technology in the US, say on rare occasions, lightning exits the top of a thunderstorm and connects to the lower edge of space, forming what is called a “gigantic jet”.

In the new study, published last week in the journal Science Advances, they report observations of a gigantic jet, which are a class of mysterious transient weather events, that transferred an “extraordinary amount of charge” stretching nearly 50 miles (80km) towards space.