Terrestrial gamma-ray flash

For gamma-ray bursts of cosmic origin, see Gamma-ray burst.
Artist's conception of gamma-ray flash and related phenomena.
The red dots show some of the ~500 terrestrial gamma-ray flashes daily detected by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope through 2010.

A terrestrial gamma-ray flash (TGF), also known as dark lightning, is a burst of gamma rays produced in Earth's atmosphere. TGFs have been recorded to last 0.2 to 3.5 milliseconds, and have energies of up to 20 million electronvolts. It is speculated that TGFs are caused by intense electric fields produced above or inside thunderstorms. Scientists have also detected energetic positrons and electrons produced by terrestrial gamma-ray flashes.[1][2]

  1. ^ Palmer, Jason (11 January 2011). "Antimatter Caught Streaming from Thunderstorms on Earth". BBC News. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  2. ^ Perrotto, Trent; Anderson, Janet (10 January 2011). "NASA's Fermi Catches Thunderstorms Hurling Antimatter Into Space" (Press release). NASA. Archived from the original on 21 January 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2016.