Posted on 07/23/2012 5:29:08 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Explanation: How fast is lightning? Lightning, in fact, moves not only too fast for humans to see, but so fast that humans can't even tell which direction it is moving. The above lightning stroke did not move too fast, however, for this extremely high time resolution video to resolve. Tracking at an incredible 7,207 frames per second, actual time can be seen progressing at the video bottom. The above lightning bolt starts with many simultaneously creating ionized channels branching out from an negatively charged pool of electrons and ions that has somehow been created by drafts and collisions in a rain cloud. About 0.015 seconds after appearing -- which takes about 3 seconds in the above time-lapse video -- one of the meandering charge leaders makes contact with a suddenly appearing positive spike moving up from the ground and an ionized channel of air is created that instantly acts like a wire. Immediately afterwards, this hot channel pulses with a tremendous amount of charges shooting back and forth between the cloud and the ground, creating a dangerous explosion that is later heard as thunder. Much remains unknown about lightning, however, including details of the mechanism that separates charges.
(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...
[Credit & Copyright: Tom A. Warner, ZTResearch, www.weathervideoHD.TV]
Linky no worky for me.
OMG! This is so cool!
The video at the site was definitely worth a look.
That is SHOCKING (forgive me, SC... I’ve been up a long time and that is the best I can do!)
Neat-o!
How cool is that? Kudos to the filmmaker and the inventor of thos ultra-fast shutter speeds (or did 0bama build that, too?)
Very cool.
Very, very nice! I love how you can see the lightening image in the water.
That is SO amazing. It looks like the lightning does a couple of loop the loops at times.
That’s a fantastic pic capture, cc!
Amazing - so beautiful.
Awesome!
I love watching lightning out at Lake Michigan, it either is or just appears to be much more intense, and the bolts wider. Of course, I’m just watching it in real time, not with this guy’s equipment, so...
There were some pretty spectacular bolts in the western burbs around 0630 this morning. I’m glad to see it as we really need the rain.
Great job, cc! It’s lovely.
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