In most cases there is cloud-to-ground lightning but what you actually see comes from the ground up. The flash lowers a path of negative electricity, that can’t be seen with the human eye, towards the ground in a series of spurts. In a typical thunderstorm objects under the storm have a positive energy.
Another thing we wondered was: does Lightning really travel from the ground up?
One way to consider this is It actually does come from ground up typically a lightning stroke is caused by a step leader that breaks down the insulation of the air, when it reaches the ground the brilliant flash you see is the lightning discharge returning from the ground to its source although in rare cases you can have cloud to ground lightning.
When lightning strikes the ground or an object on the ground, the discharge occurs in and along the ground surface (not deep into the ground). This creates a dangerous and potentially deadly ground current near the lightning strike. Ground current is responsible for killing many farm animals on a yearly basis.
How does Lightning travel from a cloud to the ground?
Gather on the ground. A cloud to ground lightning strike begins as an invisible channel of electrically charged air moving from the cloud toward the ground. When one channel nears an object on the ground, a powerful surge of electricity from the ground moves upward to the clouds and produces the visible lightning strike.
One of the next things we wanted the answer to was does lightning leave a mark on the ground?
Lightning strikes often leave marks on the ground indicating where the strike has hit and the directions the bolt has dissipated in. These intricate patterns are known as ‘Lichtenberg figures’. The patterns are created by intense heating from lightning arcs traveling just below or along the surface of the ground or pavement.
The answer is both. Cloud-to-ground lightning comes from the sky down, but the part you see comes from the ground up. A typical cloud-to-ground flash lowers a path of negative electricity (that we cannot see) towards the ground in a series of spurts.
Why does Lightning want to go in the ground?
Heat doesn’t rise . Heat is the random movement of molecules and travels from hot to cold in all directions. Lightning isn’t heat. It’s plasma resulting from air being ionized and superheated by an electric charge jumping between cloud and ground or two clouds. Lightning doesn’t always go down.
Then, why does Lightning need to touch the ground?
This is what I discovered. you can follow the following steps to protect yourself and others during a storm: Do not stay outdoors when a thunderstorm has started. Always hurry back indoors. Staying safe indoors : Do not touch any electrical appliances or switches with wet hands, and preferably keep the heavy appliances switched off. Help Others: If other people are stranded or stuck outdoors, take them in and help them.
What are the dangers of lightning?
“Lightning Down: A World War II Story of Survival, ” by Tom Writes Clavin, “He was still only twenty-two years old.” Surely, Joe Moser knew the danger of what he was doing, but he chose not to dwell on it. He went out every day and did his.
Why do lightning strikes appear to be instantaneous?
Even at 100,000 frames per second the intensifying appears instantaneous, and the main bolt is so bright that cameras are overloaded. It may appear to the human perception as a “back strike” because it starts once the pilot lightning touches ground, much like a bounce-back event.