Lightning

[Turtle]

:lightning :lightning :lightning :lightning :lightning :lightning

 

Nothing quike like a lightning storm to humble a person. Still poorly understood in its causes and effects, it is nonetheless familiar to everyone.

To start things off, I have in the Hypography Science Gallery two montages of lightning photos taken over the course of lightning storms. Both storms occured in the Columbia River Valley in the vicinity of Vancouver Washington/Portland Oregon.

 

Lightning Storm 1

Lightning Storm 2

 

All things lightning the.:) Post your stories, photos, and research links here. :lightning::cup:

[C1ay]

There should have been a "within 10 feet" option on the poll. Lightning hit the center of a pool a had just exitted. I was also within 20 feet of a utility transformer when it was hit.

[Turtle]

There should have been a "within 10 feet" option on the poll. Lightning hit the center of a pool a had just exitted. I was also within 20 feet of a utility transformer when it was hit.

 

:lightning Feel free to add it C1ay.:lightning

:lightning It is quite syncronitic that you mention a pool as I voted within 100 feet and it was indeed a pool the lighning struck. The pool was on a hill in the midwest, and we guards took turns camping overnight to prevent theft & vandalism. As we lay under a cover attached to the club house, we watched a series of 8 separate thunderstorm cells pass us over. The lightning struck about 60 feet away, possibling hitting a light pole first, and then snaking to the pool and water on the deck. It blew out the pump motor inspite of the circuit breakers.:) It was awsome dudes & dudettes.:cup:

 

:lightning On the scientific side, member FrankM has put some interesting sites and data on atmosphereic electric effects in this thread:

http://hypography.com/forums/physics-mathematics/605-piezoelectric-earth-5.html

:lightning Here is a link to a French satellite program Frank mentioned; I have yet to explore it thouroughly but even a cursory examination gets good marks.

http://smsc.cnes.fr/DEMETER/

:lightning :omg: :lightning :cup:

[C1ay]

I was at a public pool when I was around 13 on a bright sunny day and all of the sudden the sky started to darken. No sooner had the life guard gotten all of us out of the pool when a huge bolt hit the pool dead center. I was standing at the edge of the pool when it hit. Within 10 minutes the sky was clear and sunny again but when we tried to go back in the pool we found it to be unbearably hot so they closed it for the rest of the day. It was certainly a lesson in energy transmission.

[infamous]

:lightning :lightning :lightning :lightning :lightning :lightning

 

 

Nothing quike like a lightning storm to humble a person. Still poorly understood in its causes and effects, it is nonetheless familiar to everyone.

To start things off, I have in the Hypography Science Gallery two montages of lightning photos taken over the course of lightning storms. Both storms occured in the Columbia River Valley in the vicinity of Vancouver Washington/Portland Oregon.

 

Lightning Storm 1

Lightning Storm 2

 

All things lightning the.:) Post your stories, photos, and research links here. :lightning::cup:

Awesome pics my friend Turtle, I hope your shell afforded you adequate protection? Lightning is such an exhilarating phenomenon.....Infy

[Jay-qu]

It is an incredible thing to watch! Once a few years ago lightning struck a building maybe 200m away and I was in a class doing a test, the tables shoot and it was the most incredible sound!

More recently though at my brothers football match the goal post was struck by lightning! and apparently all people standing near it had their hair standing on end!

[Turtle]

Great stories people! Keep 'em comin'.:hihi:

 

Now to put a matter to rest that is often mistated in regard to how far away a lightning stroke is. Let's employ the scientific method, shall we? :eek:

 

The light from the stroke is traveling at the speed of light, while the consequent thunder travels at the speed of sound. The speed of sound in dry air at 70° F:

344.27 meters per second = 1129.52 feet per second = 771.18 miles per hour

Speed of Sound Calculator

 

From the flash, start counting seconds until you hear the thunder. For every 3 seconds you count, the lightning is 1 kilometer away {1000 meters in a kilometer; 1000 meters divided by 344.27 meters per second = 2.9 seconds}

For every 5 seconds you count, the lightning is just under 5 miles away {5280 feet in a mile; 5,280 feet divided by 1129.52 feet per second = 4.6 seconds}

 

:) :) :) :lightning :lightning :lightning

[Guest jamongo]

a Big....liGhTing bOlt strUck a tRee acroSs the streEt froM me.... It dId scAre me a lIttLe but tHere wEre No otHer SidE afFects...I don't tHink.:friday:

[ronthepon]

A rather lovely thing had happened just weeks ago. It was raining (monsoon season) all night, till the morning. Lightning frequent, but mostly remaining up in the sky.

 

I was sipping warm soup, watching the transformer in front of my apartments spark and spark. Suddenly, there was lightning and I'm pretty sure it hit the transformer. It exploded loudly, and it was like a huge fire cracker, with sparks flying in the air for about two or three seconds.

 

Later, when I inspected the transformer (It had fallen down and leaked all over the place), the metal had definitely almost melted at places.

 

What creeps me out is fact that our building is struck by lightning quite often. Almost everytime there is a storm.

[Jay-qu]

may be creepy but its showing that it is well earthed, I would be more worried if it where not.

[Turtle]

What creeps me out is fact that our building is struck by lightning quite often. Almost everytime there is a storm.

 

Most buildings have a lightning rod and/or grounding system to safely direct the lightning's current to Earth. American Ben Franklin invented the lightning rod and actually conducted his famous lightning & kite experiment to support his plan to put a lightning rod on the Christ Church under construction in Philadelphia.

 

As for lightning hitting the ground, if you manage to locate the exact point of contact, start digging carefully & see if you can find/recover a "petrified" lightning bolt. Rare to find, let alone recover, procurring a fulgurite is a veritable coupe for a lightning buff.

;) :rant: :lightning :lightning :lightning :lightning :lightning

[Jay-qu]

wow thats cool :shrug:

 

I saw it on a movie once so I was sceptical if it would work but a guy would put large metal rods into sand and when lightning struck the rods the sand would be turned to glass in cool shapes. Does this really happen?

[Turtle]

wow thats cool :)

 

I saw it on a movie once so I was sceptical if it would work but a guy would put large metal rods into sand and when lightning struck the rods the sand would be turned to glass in cool shapes. Does this really happen?

It is possible yes. However, the movie you saw may have either really done it, or simply used special effects to simulate a real effect.:hihi:

 

I am collecting some information on researchers who intentionally attract and/or induce lightning. Do not under any circumstances try it at home! :eek: :hihi:

[Queso]

Doesn't some lightning start from the ground, and reaches into the sky?

 

Discovery channel showed me in slow motion...

[Turtle]

Doesn't some lightning start from the ground, and reaches into the sky?

 

Discovery channel showed me in slow motion...

 

Why yes it does.:hihi: Well, so to speak. Here's a snippet from the Wicky article on lightning:

...The region of high current propagates back up the positive stepped leader into the cloud with a "return stroke" that is the most luminous part of the lightning discharge.

 

On the iron-rods-in-sand-to-make-glass-objects-when-lightning-strikes, if I were to not try it at home I would not weld an iron teapot to the bottom of the rod and bury it in an attempt to influence the shape of the resulting fulgurite.:hihi:

[Turtle]

I am collecting some information on researchers who intentionally attract and/or induce lightning. Do not under any circumstances try it at home! :eek: :naughty:

 

Here you go then with some extraordinary lightning information: :)

First Rate Lighning Research From University of Florida:

http://www.lightning.ece.ufl.edu

A recent result of theirs concerning gamma rays and lightning:

http://www.lightning.ece.ufl.edu/PDF/Gammarays.pdf

An Hypography thread on Sprites and their relationship with lightning:

http://hypography.com/forums/earth-science/7427-sprites.html?highlight=sprites

:hihi: :lightning :lightning :lightning :lightning :lightning :lightning :lightning

[Turtle]

:eek: :eek: Worlds longest found fugurite!

http://www.napa.ufl.edu/oldnews/fulgur.htm

 

And a Web site dedicated to survivors of lightning strikes! :eek: :doh: :naughty: :)

http://www.lightning-strike.org/

 

:hihi: :lightning :lightning :lightning :lightning :lightning :lightning :lightning