What makes thunder go boom?
Lightning is super hot, hotter than the surface of the Sun. It heats the air around it in a split second. The air expands so fast that it makes a giant boom. That is thunder. You see lightning first because light travels much faster than sound.
Transcript
Dr. Nina Byte: Chip asked me what makes thunder go boom. I have three doctorates, and this is my life now.
Chip Darnell: I'm ready, teacher! I brought a juice box and everything.
Dr. Nina Byte: First, lightning. It is super hot, hotter than the surface of the Sun. Per NOAA, about fifty thousand degrees Fahrenheit.
Chip Darnell: So lightning is the pretzel oven at the mall kiosk. That thing is hot and it smells amazing.
Dr. Nina Byte: Second, it heats the air around it in a split second.
Dr. Nina Byte: The air gets squeezed and shoved out of the way, and it expands very fast.
Chip Darnell: Oh, like the fireworks store popping all its sale balloons at once!
Dr. Nina Byte: Third, that fast-growing air makes a giant boom. That boom is thunder. Not balloons. Air.
Chip Darnell: Air. Fine. But why do I see the flash first?
Dr. Nina Byte: Fourth, light travels much faster than sound. So the flash gets to you first, and the boom comes along later.
Chip Darnell: Can I tell how far away the storm is?
Dr. Nina Byte: That is exactly the right question. Yes! Count the seconds from flash to boom. Every five seconds is roughly one mile away.
Chip Darnell: So ten seconds means the storm is two miles away. That gives me time to finish my juice box.