Figure 1 Downward lightning
© Torkhov/stock.adobe.com
Did you know that lightning strikes upwards as well as downwards (Figure 1)? Tall buildings made of electrically conductive materials can send lightning bolts upwards into the clouds (Figure 2), and generate X-rays at the same time.
These upward lightning bolts occur primarily, but not always, when there is a nearby downward flash from the clouds to the ground. This is due to the change in the electric field that these lightning bolts cause. You can see a video of upward lightning taken with a high-speed camera here:
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