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You've probably never seen lightning this way!

tybrad

tybrad

Lunatic Member
Banned
These are >7200 frame per second high speed videos of lightning discharges. Each frame spans a time of 100 microseconds. In them, you'll see what you normally cannot...

1. The downward step leaders; ion channels in the atmosphere are explored- either succeeding or terminating- and finding the best path (not necessarily that of least resistance) to ground. These are so fast and dim that they are not within human visual perception and require hi speed work- Boys cameras, etc.

2. You also see the "chugging" of "huffing" as additional discharge pulses make their way through the established ion channels after ground "contact" is made.

Really cool and enlightening to observe!
See what I did there? :D

http://vimeo.com/28457062

http://vimeo.com/45803576

Can anyone tell us the mechanism by which these enormous aerial charges are generated?
Just don't get struck by one of those great capacitors in the sky.

Tyler
 
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Very cool. So lightning can start from the ground or the sky?
Mechanism? A very high voltage potential between the clouds and ground?
Isn't there somewhere in South America where lightning occurs more than any other place? On a daily basis?
Thanks for that post.
 
Amazing!

When I was in college at NM Tech in Socorro, there was a lightning research facility (Langmuir Lab) on top of the adjacent mountain. That was back in the early 80s. Looks like high speed camera technology has advanced the field of lightning research quite a bit since then.
 
toxcrusadr said:
Amazing!

When I was in college at NM Tech in Socorro, there was a lightning research facility (Langmuir Lab) on top of the adjacent mountain. That was back in the early 80s. Looks like high speed camera technology has advanced the field of lightning research quite a bit since then.
Click to expand...

I was supposed to have a job there working with Dr. Vonnegut about 20 some odd years ago. The Air Force pulled the funding just as I was about to start.
 
similost said:
I want to know how to photograph lightning.. I've tried, but can never make it happen..
Click to expand...

Camera preferably on tripod, shutter left open or very long exposure time, when you see a flash or two close the shutter - job done.
 
similost said:
I want to know how to photograph lightning.. I've tried, but can never make it happen..
Click to expand...

The easiest way is to use a Canon point and shoot camera with CHDK firmware installed. There are scripts for this that will open your shutter just from the flash of a dim lightning leader. WAY better than leaving your shutter open for a minute or two and hoping lightning happens.
 
that would have been really handy back when I was taking electronic theory in the Air Force, I was so sick of hearing that lightning only flows from the ground up.
 
jsixis said:
that would have been really handy back when I was taking electronic theory in the Air Force, I was so sick of hearing that lightning only flows from the ground up.
Click to expand...

It's pretty much 50/50. That's been known for about a century.

I had no idea that AF training was so bad. They certainly taught us otherwise in the Army Signal Corps.
 
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