Final answer:
Lightning is made of electricity, which is analogous to how a light bulb lights up due to an electric current heating a filament, except lightning is a massive natural electrical discharge in the atmosphere.
Step-by-step explanation:
Lightning is a natural phenomenon that is composed of electricity. It occurs when a static electrical charge is built up in a cloud and then released, resulting in a powerful discharge of electrical energy.
Benjamin Franklin's experiments with a kite and a key demonstrated the electrical nature of lightning. This was an important step in understanding the electromagnetic force, of which lightning is a manifestation. Just like a simple incandescent light bulb where electricity heats a filament to produce light, in a lightning strike, the electric current travels through the air, heating it to a very high temperature and causing it to glow, which we see as the flash of lightning.
Similarly, in a laboratory setting, electricity can be used to light a bulb by passing a current through a filament, like tungsten, which emits light when heated. Neon lights use a different principle where electricity excites electrons in a gas, such as neon, to emit light when the electrons return to a lower energy state.