Most of us were amazed the first time we saw the sky light up when a powerful bolt of lightning flashed in the distance. And we're usually pretty surprised when we touch someone else's wool sweater and we feel a tingly shock and hear a crackling sound. But did you know that both the lightning and the little shock are different versions of the same thing? Both phenomena are discharges of static electricity, a buildup of extra electrons — tiny subatomic particles — on the surface of an object.

What makes electricity static?

This type of electricity is called "static" because the electrons are not flowing through a circuit, as they would in an alternating current or direct current system, like the ones that power the lights in your home and your Xbox 360. Instead, they've accumulated in one place. If they get the chance, these negatively charged particles will transfer someplace else, in attempt to achieve a neutral balance. With lightning and the shock you receive from touching someone's sweater, this process happens very suddenly.