Amazing Images: The Best Science Photos of the Week

By Jeanna Bryner - Live Science Editor-in-Chief 12 hours ago

Each week we find the most interesting and informative articles we can and along the way we uncover amazing and cool images. Here you'll discover incredible photos and the stories behind them.

Volcanic lightning



(Image credit: Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)

Gorgeous displays of lightning lit up Taal volcano in the Philippines, as it shot ash and lava sky-high. Here, a column of ash surrounds the crater of Taal on Jan. 12, with lightning in the background, as seen from Tagaytay city. Scientists are still trying to nail down the exact causes of volcanic lightning, but they have some ideas. One is that static electricity, created as particles rub together within dense ash clouds near the ground produce the electric flashes. Another idea is that jockeying ice crystals high above Earth’s surface, in an atmospheric layer called the stratosphere launch the powerful jolts, Live Science previously reported.

More:
https://www.livescience.com/50717-amazing-images.html