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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Method for Recording Broadband High Resolution Emission Spectra of Laboratory Lightning Arcs

Method for Recording Broadband High Resolution Emission Spectra of Laboratory Lightning Arcs

Published on: August 27, 2019

Lightning initiation on the exoplanet K2-18b.

Elloïse Fangel-Lloyd^1,2, Saša Dujko³, Ilija Simonović³

¹Danish Meteorological Institute, Sankt Kjelds Plads, Copenhagen, Denmark. ejfl@dmi.dk.

Scientific Reports

|June 20, 2026

Summary

Lightning may be more common on exoplanets than Earth. New simulations show that atmospheres, particularly those with water vapor, can more easily form streamers, the precursors to lightning, on planets like K2-18b.

Keywords:

Exoplanet K2-18b Lightning Streamer

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Area of Science:

Exoplanetary Science
Atmospheric Physics
Astrochemistry

Background:

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) data enable unprecedented high-precision studies of exoplanetary atmospheres.
Understanding exoplanet weather, climate, and atmospheric composition is crucial for assessing potential habitability and the search for extraterrestrial life.
Lightning, a significant atmospheric phenomenon on Earth, has not been studied in exoplanetary contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

To simulate streamer formation, the precursors to lightning, in an exoplanetary atmosphere using JWST observational data.
To investigate the electrical breakdown field magnitude in an exoplanet atmosphere compared to Earth's.
To determine the conditions and atmospheric compositions conducive to lightning inception on exoplanets, specifically K2-18b.

Main Methods:

Utilized photochemical modeling data derived from JWST observations as input for a validated plasma simulation code.
Simulated streamer development, a key precursor to electrical discharges (lightning), in an exoplanetary atmospheric model.
Tested three distinct atmospheric configurations for the exoplanet K2-18b.

Main Results:

The electrical breakdown field magnitude in the simulated exoplanetary atmosphere is approximately 50% of Earth's.
This lower breakdown field indicates an atmosphere more susceptible to lightning than Earth's.
Lightning inception was shown to be possible across all three tested atmospheric configurations for K2-18b.

Conclusions:

Exoplanetary atmospheres, like that of K2-18b, may be more prone to lightning than previously assumed.
Variations in atmospheric composition, especially the presence of water vapor, significantly influence the rate of streamer inception.
These findings have implications for understanding exoplanet atmospheric dynamics, chemistry, and the potential for life.