We all know the story of Benjamin Franklin and his discovery of lightning using a kite and a key. But how much do we really know about lightning? Statistically about one hundred people a year are killed by lightning in the United States. About 250 people every year survive after being hit by lightning. One out of ten of the people reportedly struck by lightning are hit in Florida due to the mix of heat and high humidity.

A Lightning Show

Image Source

Some General Rules About Staying Safe Around Lightning

1. Get out of the water as soon as you can
2. Keep your distance from tall objects as they are more likely to be hit
3. A car with a hard top is safe, a convertible is not
4. Curl up like a ball in the squat position and don’t lie flat on the ground as it could hold a charge

Cloud to Sea Lightning

Image Source

The electrical energy of heat is transferred when a lightning bolt flashes. The actual temperature of the sun is five times cooler than the temperature of a lightning bolt.

The strong heat causes the air to enlarge violently and then cool down. It is this rapid succession of particles in the air that make the noise that we call thunder. If you are far away from the source of the thunder, then you will hear a reverberating sound. If you are closer to the originating point, then you will hear a riveting splinter that sounds as though the heavens are dividing.

Double Lightning

Image Source

It always takes longer to hear the thunder than to see the lightning. The sound of

thunder travels slower than the speed of light. Thunder is operating at the speed of sound and lightning moves at the speed of light.

The most dangerous kind of lightning is the “cloud-to-ground” variety. The most common kind of lightning is called “intracloud lightning.” Intracloud lightning occurs inside the same cloud but involves opposite charges. Generally, the cloud will flash and then we hear the boom of thunder. “Intercloud lightning” therefore occurs when two different clouds have opposite charges and react by shooting a charge across the sky.

Cloud to Cloud Lightning

Image Source

Lightning bolts can move at speeds of 60,000 miles a second. One lightning flash is more luminous than ten million one hundred-watt light bulbs. If we could somehow harvest all the power of a single lightning bolt we could generate the same amount of power as in all the electrical plants in the U.S. for one second or a single light bulb for about 30 days.

Lightning Striking the Eiffel Tower

Image Source

Lightning is a great lava flow of electricity running through the sky. If we could one day use this amazing natural resource to solve our own natural power problems here on earth then our energy abilities would be limitless.

The Limitless Power of Lightning

Image Source