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ScienceSurprise 5/5Difficulty 2/5Reviewed on September 13, 2026

A lightning bolt is about five times hotter than the surface of the Sun.

Why it is true

The temperature of a lightning bolt can reach 30,000 kelvin, while the Sun's surface is around 5,500 kelvin. The heat lasts only fractions of a second, but it is enough to melt sand and turn it into glass. That is why a lightning bolt is five times hotter than the solar surface.

Source: NOAA

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