ABSTRACT
This chapter provides brief comments on optical and radio frequency observations. It also provides information on possible lightning on the other planets of the solar system including brief descriptions of planetary atmospheric properties relevant to lightning generation. Lightning is too complicated a phenomenon to be characterized by a few remote observations of its optical or radio frequency (RF) emissions. The spectra of lightning discharges show continuum radiation and line emissions depending on the composition of the atmosphere. There is evidence from the Venera probes and the Pioneer Venus Orbiter radio wave detector for surprisingly strong lightning activity, all of which detected RF pulse bursts that were highly variable in time as might be expected to be for weather-related sources. During the Galileo flyby of Venus on February 10, 1990, the plasma wave instrument was used to search for impulsive radio signals from lightning.
