Thunderstorms Observed Triggering Nuclear Reactions in the Sky

I'm no expert but I'd assume it has to do with sensor sensitivity. A nuclear bomb involves far more nuclear reactions than a lightning storm. It's as though you calibrated a scale to measure "things that have mass" but set it to 10kg, assuming everything under was weightless.

Changing those calibrations might be a physical (instead of digital) process, so maybe not.

Such satellites are cloaked in secrecy and so this may well be an fully understood phenomenon in TS & Classified circles; but just not published for us mere mortals to see.

I seem to remember from the Las Vegas Atomic Museum that lightning would indeed trigger false positives in early gamma ray detecting satellites.

Edit: The article does note that it was picked up by satellites before but there's conclusive evidence now.

> Maybe I'm in over my head, but how come satellites made for detecting radiation or nuclear explosions didn't pick up on any of this before?

The article explains this in detail.