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Lightning Strikes
me | 8/25/2011 | bigheadfred

Posted on 08/25/2011 9:09:17 AM PDT by bigheadfred

There was a small storm moving across the way this morning. With the sun just coming up it was producing a rainbow effect in the storm.

So I got my little Kodak camera out and started filming, hoping to catch some of the lightning, too.

When I was looking at it frame by frame to see how well one of the lightning strikes showed up, I was surprised with this 3 frame sequence.

This bolt of lightning seemed to generate itself in my backyard. The storm was a couple of miles away.

Thought it was interesting.

Thought I would share.


TOPICS: Weather; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: lightning
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To: bigheadfred

I think you are looking at two events. The one in your yard looks like leader stroke that never “connected” to the main charge. The more distant one behind the tree did connect.

Every lightning strike starts with a leader stroke. They have a distinct sound.

Looks like you almost witnessed a strike in your yard!


21 posted on 08/25/2011 9:23:33 AM PDT by DBrow
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To: PGR88

It’s an artefact from the light reflecting off the digital sensor, off the back of the lens then back to the sensor. The artefact matches the bottom of the “true” lightening bolt image. This happens on very bright scenes.


22 posted on 08/25/2011 9:23:56 AM PDT by dmcnash (y)
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To: Paladin2
I could be some sort of artifact internal to the optics.

And I thought that might be it. But I don't know.

23 posted on 08/25/2011 9:24:39 AM PDT by bigheadfred (But alas)
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To: bigheadfred

It looks like the one in your yard is actually a digital relic in your camera from the main strike as they have the same shape. I assume the main strike behind the tree was the main strike and the first picture in the sequence. I know how it could happen on a film camera but not sure how that would happen on a digital camera unless it was an imprint from the lightening flash temporarily on the lens.


24 posted on 08/25/2011 9:26:08 AM PDT by lp boonie (Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment)
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To: dmcnash

you nailed it. cut and overlay the bottom of both and they are the same exact shape.


25 posted on 08/25/2011 9:27:31 AM PDT by jbp1 (be nice now)
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To: AngelesCrestHighway; bigheadfred
Like I deserve it? Haha. Ya missed me.

He was getting close to a ZOT! with some of his posts last night! LOL

Seriously Fred, you're very lucky! Good thing you weren't standing out near the fence!

26 posted on 08/25/2011 9:29:04 AM PDT by Errant
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To: lp boonie; dmcnash

Thanks. And it must be an artifact. I can see now how it matches the bottom of the main bolt. But it is the first frame.


27 posted on 08/25/2011 9:29:43 AM PDT by bigheadfred (But alas)
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To: bigheadfred
Very cool pix. That purple one is called a 'streamer'. Lightning actually travels from the ground up.

Special photography can capture this. An item that is unable to properly discharge a build up of electricity creates this streamer as the potential is attracted to the opposite charge in a storm. When they make contact...Whoopeeee! Lightning.

This is why my radio antennae are well grounded. They rapidly discharge any potential to ground. Never been hit even once...for which my expensive comms equipment is very grateful.

28 posted on 08/25/2011 9:37:48 AM PDT by Bloody Sam Roberts (Deploy. Dominate. Disappear.)
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To: Errant; AngelesCrestHighway; Lazamataz; Dubya-M-DeesWent2SyriaStupid!

Last night? Last night was pretty tame. Unless you mean the excitement trying to trank Laz. Or get Dubya back on their chain.


29 posted on 08/25/2011 9:39:12 AM PDT by bigheadfred (But alas)
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To: bigheadfred

My friend, you caught one of the most interesting phenomena of lightning. We all see lightning coming from the sky to the ground, yet lightning as best as I can describe needs a path and the pathway always starts from the ground.

So my friend you are a very lucky man or woman because that one did not complete and it was in your front yard. This is not uncommon, for pathways not the complete. If it had completed I would not want to be standing anywhere too close to it.

Great pictures, and very rare camera picked of a pathway not completing, you are indeed fortunate. I’m sure there’s descriptions of the event that you caught, but it’s the best a layperson like myself can do. Absolutely Cool.


30 posted on 08/25/2011 9:39:20 AM PDT by YihYthink (Freedom is never Free)
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To: bigheadfred

My friend, you caught one of the most interesting phenomena of lightning. We all see lightning coming from the sky to the ground, yet lightning as best as I can describe needs a path and the pathway always starts from the ground.

So my friend you are a very lucky man or woman because that one did not complete and it was in your front yard. This is not uncommon, for pathways not the complete. If it had completed I would not want to be standing anywhere too close to it.

Great pictures, and very rare camera picked of a pathway not completing, you are indeed fortunate. I’m sure there’s descriptions of the event that you caught, but it’s the best a layperson like myself can do. Absolutely Cool.


31 posted on 08/25/2011 9:39:30 AM PDT by YihYthink (Freedom is never Free)
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To: bigheadfred

Lol!

Very interesting sequence; thank you for posting it. Had never heard of ground-to-cloud lightning or ground-to-ground lightning before. Found a video of ground-to-cloud lightning in slow motion at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NZ7BollRo4


32 posted on 08/25/2011 9:41:10 AM PDT by skr (May God confound the enemy)
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To: skr

Be fun to get some home video like that.


33 posted on 08/25/2011 9:47:26 AM PDT by bigheadfred (But alas)
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To: bigheadfred

Astronomy picture of the day!


34 posted on 08/25/2011 9:48:29 AM PDT by TheOldLady (FReepmail me to get ON or OFF the ZOT LIGHTNING ping list.)
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To: DBrow

Can the leader stroke take out a lectric transformer? As my neighbors was fried and I heard the thunder and clap and saw a weird light in my office of my house 32 feet away. I thought I was dead.


35 posted on 08/25/2011 9:58:57 AM PDT by Dubya-M-DeesWent2SyriaStupid! (It is possible to both promote Palin and support Bachmann at the same time, ya know.)
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To: bigheadfred

36 posted on 08/25/2011 10:17:56 AM PDT by ßuddaßudd (7 days - 7 ways a Guero y Guay Lao << >> with a floating, shifting, ever changing)
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To: Dubya-M-DeesWent2SyriaStupid!

“Can the leader stroke take out a lectric transformer?”

I don’t know. They are much lower energy than the real stroke.


37 posted on 08/25/2011 10:48:25 AM PDT by DBrow
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To: jurroppi1

ping to self for later.


38 posted on 08/25/2011 10:57:37 AM PDT by jurroppi1
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To: bigheadfred
Bit off topic...but an example of what can be done with time lapse photography equipment...storm approaching included....fr thread:

Tempest Milky Way ( A mosaic & video with Music )


4

39 posted on 08/25/2011 10:57:42 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach ( Support Geert Wilders)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
His rig:


40 posted on 08/25/2011 11:06:53 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach ( Support Geert Wilders)
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