We’re used to thunder and lightning here on Earth. But what might they be like on another planet? We know other worlds in the solar system have lightning strikes, for example, high in the clouds of Jupiter or during dust storms on Mars. Now, astronomers are thinking about lightning on planets beyond the solar system–and its effects on the signs of life on those planets.
In a new research paper accepted to the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics, a team of astrobiologists investigated how lightning might change some of the biosignatures—chemical signs of life—we could look for on other worlds. Overall, the results are nuanced, just like the complex atmosphere we experience here on Earth. Lightning, it turns out, can amplify some biosignatures while masking others. This both offers clues to find extraterrestrial life and complicates our observations.
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