Dramatic video shows bolts of lightning as a volcano spews ash up to nine miles into the air in the Philippines. The country has raised the alert level, meaning an "explosive eruption" could happen in the coming hours or days: cnn.it/35OKfBK | CNN

Do you know why volcano lightning exists? During massive eruptions, plumes of ash and rock particles are blasted into the sky, colliding with each other at high speeds. These collisions strip electrons from particles, creating electrical charges. When the imbalance grows, the sky erupts in lightning, often brighter and more violent than storms on Earth. This phenomenon has been recorded in eruptions from Mount Vesuvius to Mount Saint Helens, and it creates one of nature's most terrifying yet bea