They're 1,000 times stronger and brighter than average lightning, and scientists have finally found a cause of these dramatic flashes of electricity. Lightning’s rattling cracks and surges of illuminated energy have long prompted puzzling scientific queries. And while many questions about these powerful flashes remain, a particularly significant mystery—how the planets’ brightest and strongest strikes occur—was recently answered. The average lightning strike produces roughly 1,000 to 5,000 megajoules of energy—enough to power a 60-watt light bulb for over six months. The term “superbolt”...…They're 1,000 times stronger and brighter than average lightning, and scientists have finally found a cause of these dramatic flashes of electricity. Lightning’s rattling cracks and surges of illuminated energy have long prompted puzzling scientific queries. And while many questions about these powerful flashes remain, a particularly significant mystery—how the planets’ brightest and strongest strikes occur—was recently answered. The average lightning strike produces roughly 1,000 to 5,000 megajoules of energy—enough to power a 60-watt light bulb for over six months. The term “superbolt”...WW…