Thunder… lightning…gamma rays! Terrestrial gamma-ray flashes
(TGFs) are brief bursts of gamma rays produced inside
thunderstorms and associated with lightning. NASA's Fermi Gamma-
ray Space Telescope detected beams of antimatter produced above
thunderstorms, evidence that thunderstorms may make antimatter
particle beams. Scientists believe TGFs come from strong
electric fields at the tops of thunderstorms where the field
becomes strong enough that it pushes electrons upwards, where
the electrons reach speeds almost as fast as light. These
electrons give off gamma rays when they're diverted by air
molecules and then are detected as a TGF. The electrons produce
so many gamma rays that they shoot electrons and positrons out
of the atmosphere and NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope
intercepts these particles, showing evidence that thunderstorms
may be producing antimatter. An artist’s rendering of electrons
moving toward the edge of the earth’s atmosphere, being produced
above thunderstorms. Image courtesy of N