Lightning is five times hotter than the surface of the sun . . . But only for a few tenths of a second at a time. After this on Kids Earth and Sky.
Lightning is only as wide as a pencil.
But lightning is much thinner than it is long. Lightning is surrounded by a glow called a corona. This corona may be ten to twenty feet across. Meanwhile, the lightning itself is only about as big around as a pencil. Here's how it works.