<p>Not all Noble Gases will glow when high voltage is passed through it (Radon is an exception), this needs a variety of factors that should be favorable to make the gas glow, such as pressure, temperature, density etc. And in your case if the planet's atmosphere is rich with only 20 percent of noble gas, it will never glow, The atmosphere should have atleast 50-60 percent in order to have the desired pressure and density. And you can't always expect the gas to glow, as all lightening strikes will not produce spectral emissions</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-12-22T05:47:46.863Z
"Radon is an exception", see this post: https://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/117144/electric-glow-discharge-of-last-2-noble-gasses. Also, noble gases are not that abundant in space (exept helium of course). See: https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/34630/sources-of-xenon-or-other-noble-gases-in-space. [Neon radicals](https://www.space.com/30295-neon-found-on-moon.html) has been found on moon as is [ionized argon molecule](https://physicsworld.com/a/first-noble-gas-molecules-found-in-space/). Also see: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1086/310513/fulltext/5708.text.html
Nilay Ghosh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-12-23T04:07:00.853Z
@NilayGhosh I've just added a bounty to the Chemistry SE question, thanks for calling attention to it!
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-12-23T17:21:01.347Z
@uhoh I was surprised to see my question get bountied after literally years of waiting lol hopefully it gets an answer
Max0815
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-12-23T21:18:45.540Z
@Max0815 It's a great question and nuclear chemistry is not what most folks in Chemistry SE are most familiar with, so it's a perfect candidate for [bountying](https://english.stackexchange.com/q/546030/217285).
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-12-22T05:32:34.967Z
2021-12-24T06:06:50.273Z
2021-12-24T06:06:50.273Z
Kavin Ishwaran
<p>I've read about how noble gases in gas tubes emit varying colors of light when electricity is passed through them</p>
<p>For a planet with noble gas rich atmospheres (say &gt;20%), would a lightning strike cause the local area around the strike to glow brightly in the color corresponding to that of the specific noble gas?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-12-21T21:57:34.190Z
This question is probably better suited to the Physics stack. BTW, nitrogen has a nice purple glow when you pass electricity through it, but it's not easy to see with the naked eye in a typical lightning bolt.
PM 2Ring
<planetary-atmosphere><weather>
Would lightning on planets with noble gas rich atmospheres cause a glow similar to an electric discharge lamp?
Hash
# Would lightning on planets with noble gas rich atmospheres cause a glow similar to an electric discharge lamp?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-12-21)

I've read about how noble gases in gas tubes emit varying colors of light when electricity is passed through them

For a planet with noble gas rich atmospheres (say >20%), would a lightning strike cause the local area around the strike to glow brightly in the color corresponding to that of the specific noble gas?

**Tags:** planetary-atmosphere, weather
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: This question is probably better suited to the Physics stack. BTW, nitrogen has a nice purple glow when you pass electricity through it, but it's not easy to see with the naked eye in a typical lightning bolt.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2021-12-22. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

Not all Noble Gases will glow when high voltage is passed through it (Radon is an exception), this needs a variety of factors that should be favorable to make the gas glow, such as pressure, temperature, density etc. And in your case if the planet's atmosphere is rich with only 20 percent of noble gas, it will never glow, The atmosphere should have atleast 50-60 percent in order to have the desired pressure and density. And you can't always expect the gas to glow, as all lightening strikes will not produce spectral emissions

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: "Radon is an exception", see this post: https://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/117144/electric-glow-discharge-of-last-2-noble-gasses. Also, noble gases are not that abundant in space (exept helium of course). See: https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/34630/sources-of-xenon-or-other-noble-gases-in-space. [Neon radicals](https://www.space.com/30295-neon-found-on-moon.html) has been found on moon as is [ionized argon molecule](https://physicsworld.com/a/first-noble-gas-molecules-found-in-space/). Also see: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1086/310513/fulltext/5708.text.html  
> **username_4**: @NilayGhosh I've just added a bounty to the Chemistry SE question, thanks for calling attention to it!  
> **username_5**: @uhoh I was surprised to see my question get bountied after literally years of waiting lol hopefully it gets an answer  
> **username_4**: @Max0815 It's a great question and nuclear chemistry is not what most folks in Chemistry SE are most familiar with, so it's a perfect candidate for [bountying](https://english.stackexchange.com/q/546030/217285).  

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