Questions tagged [lightning]
46 questions
64
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6 answers
Why does lightning strike from the ground-up?
The enlightening image below is of a lightning strike slowed down at 10,000 frames per second. It can be seen that the most intense flash produced from the lightening occurs in the direction from the ground up. Why does this final "ground-up"…
Kenshin
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Is Cape Canaveral really the lightning capital of the US?
Today's SpaceX webcast featured an interesting quote, that Cape Canaveral is the lightning capital of the US. Is that really the case? If not, how does it compare in lightning strikes to other areas in the US?
PearsonArtPhoto
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Can a voltage difference precede cloud-to-ground lightning, and can it be measured over a short distance?
I recently heard an anecdote about cloud-to-ground lightning striking an area where some kids were playing 20 seconds prior. They experienced their hair rising which would indicate there is a significant voltage preceding such strikes.
I assume that…
Vasiliy Sharapov
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1 answer
What is the core of the lightning?
The post Lightning mentions about "the core of a lightning bolt":
The core of a lightning bolt is a few centimeters in diameter.
I couldn't find any article discussing about this. The reference link has been changed, so I couldn't read the…
Ooker
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Why does upwards lightning use only one path but downward lightning uses multiple paths?
My question pops-up from this question "Why does lightning strike from the ground-up" which I consider partially unanswered.
Why do I consider it partially unanswered?
Because only one answer tried to explain why the difference of the several to one…
user19169
3
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0 answers
Does lightning release the same electromagnetic emmisions as an arc welder?
Looking at an arc welder is bad, it is a source that emits on a broad range of the electromagnetic spectrum. More specifically the blue and UV are particularly bad for vision:
Artificial sources of UV radiation also cause corneal damage. Injury
…
Voltage Spike
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Where does lightning strike?
While watching lightning activity in the sky from afar, a natural curiosity welled within me. What are the exact locations where those lightning bolts strike?
All these questions appear because of my ignorance of this natural phenomenon. I hope any…
quest326
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What triggers the formation of channels of ionized air for lightning strikes to occur?
I apologize for the lack of foundational knowledge underlying this question.
At wikipedia it is stated
Initiation of the outward leaders is not well
understood. The electric field strength within
the thundercloud is not typically large enough…
user2754486
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What causes lightning to be a different color above the clouds than below the clouds?
Recently, I was flying out of the midwest during a lightning storm, and I was able to see lightning both above and below the clouds. I noticed that the lightning below the clouds was orangish/yellowish and traveled in closer to a straight line…
Dragonrage
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