Beatrice Lang
Electricity is a fundamental part of nature and one of the most widely used forms of energy. It is a basic building block of the universe, with everything in the universe, including humans, animals, stars, and water, made up of atoms. Natural electricity can be observed in lightning, solar storms, and the Northern Lights, as well as in some animals, such as electric fish, which have unique organs that create electrical discharges. These discharges can be used for protection, communication, and hunting. While humans have harnessed electricity for their benefit, it is not a human invention, and it occurs independently in nature.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Natural Forms of Electricity | Lightning, Electric Fish, Solar Storms, Northern Lights, Thunder |
| Lightning Discharge | 30 million volts |
| Lightning Delay | 300 metres every second |
| Electric Fish | Rays, Eels, Catfish |
| Electric Eel Power | Enough to power 12 40-watt lightbulbs |
| Solar Storm Cycle | Every 11 years |
| Sunspot Observation | Nearly 400 years |
| Solar Flare Power | 40 billion atomic bombs |
| Solar Wind Speed | 300-1,200 km/s |
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What You'll Learn
Lightning
The discharge of a lightning bolt can reach up to 30 million volts, causing a rapid increase in pressure and temperature, resulting in a shock wave that creates the sound of thunder. Lightning also influences atmospheric chemistry and is a natural ignition source for wildfires. It is considered an Essential Climate Variable by the World Meteorological Organization, and its scientific study is called fulminology.
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Electric fish
The electric organs of these fish vary widely among different groups. They evolved from excitable, electrically active tissues that make use of action potentials for their function. Most electric organs derive from muscle tissue, but some groups' organs derive from nerve tissue. The organ may lie along the body's axis, as in the electric eel and Gymnarchus; it may be in the tail, as in the elephantfishes; or it may be in the head, as in the electric rays and the stargazers.
Strongly electric marine fish give low-voltage, high-current electric discharges. In salt water, a small voltage can drive a large current due to the low internal resistance of the electric organ. Electric organs consist of many electrocytes in parallel. In contrast, freshwater fish have high-voltage, low-current discharges. The power of their electric discharges is limited by the voltage needed to drive the current through the large resistance of the medium. Hence, these fish have numerous cells in series.
Electroreception is an ancestral trait in vertebrates, meaning that it was present in their last common ancestor. This form of ancestral electroreception is called ampullary electroreception, from the name of the receptive organs involved, ampullae of Lorenzini. These evolved from the mechanical sensors of the lateral line and exist in cartilaginous fishes (sharks, rays, and chimaeras), lungfishes, bichirs, coelacanths, sturgeons, paddlefish, aquatic salamanders, and caecilians.
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Solar storms
The Sun's activity during these storms can result in coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which are enormous clouds of electrically charged gas, or plasma, that erupt from the Sun's outer atmosphere, the corona. These ejections can blast billions of tons of matter into space at incredibly high speeds, reaching Earth in as little as 15 hours. The charged particles within these ejections can initiate radiation storms and affect Earth's magnetic field, causing geomagnetic storms.
Geomagnetic storms can have a range of impacts on Earth. They can create beautiful auroras, but they can also lead to radio blackouts, power outages, and disruptions in satellite communications. The particles from solar storms can even affect the operation of satellites, causing issues for technologies such as GPS and satellite television. Additionally, these storms can cause issues for power transmission systems, leading to interruptions and potential power outages.
The prediction of solar flares and associated storms is an active area of research. Scientists have been observing sunspots, the dark spots on the Sun's surface, for nearly 400 years, and these are known to be the source of solar flares. These flares are intense emissions of electromagnetic radiation from the Sun's atmosphere, often accompanied by coronal mass ejections. They accelerate charged particles, mainly electrons and protons, to near the speed of light, affecting all layers of the solar atmosphere.
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Northern Lights
The Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, are a natural light display that occurs when electrically charged particles from the sun collide with gases in the Earth's upper atmosphere. The lights are most visible near the magnetic poles, but due to increasing solar activity, they are now appearing further south and more frequently than usual. The Northern Lights are the result of disturbances in the Earth's magnetosphere caused by enhanced speeds of solar wind from coronal holes and coronal mass ejections. These disturbances alter the trajectories of charged particles in the magnetospheric plasma, which are mainly electrons and protons. The resulting ionization and excitation of atmospheric constituents emit light of varying colours and complexity.
The Northern Lights were first mentioned in the Norwegian chronicle Konungs Skuggsjá from AD 1230, where the chronicler presented three possible explanations for the phenomenon: that the ocean was surrounded by vast fires; that sun flares could reach around the world to its night side; or that glaciers could store energy and become fluorescent. Benjamin Franklin theorised in 1778 that an aurora was caused by a concentration of electrical charge in the polar regions, intensified by snow and moisture in the air. However, it was not until the 20th century that Norwegian scientist Kristian Birkeland's theory was proven correct; that electrons emitted from sunspots produced the atmospheric lights after being guided towards the poles by the Earth's magnetic field.
The Northern Lights are a popular subject for photographers due to their colourful ribbons of light dancing to the whims of the Earth's magnetic field. Aurora photography presents challenges due to low light, cold temperatures, and the unpredictable nature of auroras. The discovery of the energy source powering the Northern Lights can help scientists predict when stormy space weather could disrupt global power systems or expose astronauts to dangerous radiation bursts.
The Northern Lights are a natural form of electricity, along with lightning, electric fish, and solar storms. Lightning is caused by huge concentrations of raindrops rubbing against each other in the sky, resulting in static electricity. Electric fish, such as rays, eels, and catfish, have special organs that emit electrical discharges, which they use for defence, predation, and locating objects. Solar storms are caused by sunspots, which are dark spots on the sun's surface that release huge amounts of energy. These solar flares heat the surrounding gases, ejecting masses of protons and electrons that can hit the Earth and disrupt its magnetic field.
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Solar flares
The energy released by solar flares heats the surrounding gases, creating plasma plumes composed of protons and electrons. These plumes can reach temperatures of several million degrees in just a few minutes. The resulting electromagnetic radiation emitted by solar flares spans the entire electromagnetic spectrum, from radio waves to gamma rays.
The occurrence of solar flares is linked to the 11-year solar cycle, during which the Sun's activity intensifies. During this cycle, solar flares can range in frequency from several per day during solar maxima to less than one per week during solar minima. The more powerful flares, typically C-class or higher, are less frequent, while weaker M-class flares occur more often.
The impact of solar flares extends to Earth, where they can interfere with short-wave radio communications and cause temporary ionization increases in the ionosphere. Additionally, the ejection of charged particles during a flare, known as a coronal mass ejection (CME), can damage electronic equipment and pose risks to astronauts and passengers in high-flying aircraft.
Understanding and predicting solar flares are areas of active research, as they provide insights into space weather and help us comprehend the effects of solar activity on Earth and in space.
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Frequently asked questions
Electricity is a basic part of nature and can be found in lightning, electric fish, solar storms, and the Northern Lights.
Electric fish include electric eels, rays, and catfish. These fish have unique organs that create electrical discharges, which they use to find things, defend themselves, or paralyze prey.
Every 11 years, the sun's activity increases, creating storms on its surface that affect the Earth's magnetic field. These solar flares release huge amounts of energy, heating the surrounding gases and ejecting bubbles of ultra-hot matter.
A lightning bolt can reach 30 million volts, which is the equivalent of 2.5 million car batteries!
