Stories tagged lightning

Laser lightning show: Scientists are finding that shooting lasers into storm clouds can initiate the early stages of a lightning strike. With more work and research, we might some day be able to defuse some of the dangers of lightning
Courtesy andrewomerknappIf Benjamin Franklin were alive today, he’d be all over this.

Scientists in New Mexico have shot lasers into clouds in the sky overhead to trigger the early stages of lightning.

By shooting lasers into the sky, atoms are knocked free in a long, thin channel of air – about the length of a football field -- along the laser’s path. That opening, the scientists say, makes an easier path for lightning to go from cloud to ground.

Through these tests, the researchers measured electrical currents coming down from the sky in the laser’s path. The electricity levels were much lower than conventional lightning, however.

The new goal – to trigger actual lightning strikes – will be attempted using lasers that are ten times stronger than the previous laser beams.

Why would anyone want to cause lightning to happen? The researchers have come up with all kings of ideas. Pre-emptive lightning strikes when storms are brewing could diffuse the electricity building up in clouds that could lead to more powerful, dangerous natural lightning strikes. Triggering small lightning bursts in certain areas, like around airports, could make storm conditions less dangerous.

While the laser-driven attempts at sparking lightning are relatively new, scientists have been inducing lightning with rockets in the past. Small rockets are shot toward storm clouds. Attached to the rocket is a long, thing copper wire. One end of the wire is attached to the ground. As the rest of the wire soars toward the cloud, an electrically conductive link is formed. Electricity usually explodes the wire and a lightning bolt follows down that path to hit the Earth. But that rocket/wire method only works about half of the time.

So what do you think? Is using lasers to create lightning a good use of science? Are there some creative applications you can think for this? Share your thoughts here with other Science Buzz readers.

Tags : lightning, weather, lasers, lightning protection, Benjamin Franklin

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Where's the lightning?: I can't see any lightning in this picture, but recent magnetic antenna data shows that Venus has regular lightning flashes in its dense atmosphere.
Courtesy NASAWith a name like Thor, any mention of lightning and thunder jumps off the page (or computer screen) demanding my immediate attention.

So I was locked into yesterday’s account that the European Space Agency’s Venus Express has confirmed the theories astronomers have had for years, that lightning strikes on Venus.

Lightning is one of the factors considered in the evoluntionary process that could have “sparked” life into inorganic materials. But weather and climate conditions on Venus today suggest that the window of supporting life forms has been long shut on the planet.

But the finding of lightning has electrified the weather forecasts for Earth’s solar system neighbor. Previously, astronomical meteorologists had figured that Venus had a long, boring forecast of strong, steady winds for the next 400 years.

Venus Express, which has been orbiting Venus for nearly two years now, used a magnetic antenna to pick up the planet’s lightning activities.

So if you had a strong enough telescope to see a lightning flash on Venus, how long would you have to count until you hear the ensuing thunder clap? Talk amongst yourselves to come up with the answer.

Tags : Venus, lightning, astronomy, European Space Agency Venus Express

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Thunderstorm season is already well underway, buzz people, and it’s got your number. YOUR number.

Lightning Strikes!: It's difficult to make out in this picture, but the man directly below the lightning is leaning against a flagpole and talking into a land line telephone. Don't be like him. (Photo by Emi 7)
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA (a source for some of the museum’s Science on a Sphere programming),”the biggest misconception people have about getting struck by lightning… is that it won't happen to them.” In fact, according to my personal calculations (based largely on repeated viewings of Back to the Future), a person is more likely to get struck by lightning than to get married. It depends on the person, though.

Living with the near-certainty of being stricken by lightning, or, as I prefer to say, being the victim of a “lightning attack,” we must all take certain precautions to protect ourselves (however futile the odds might make it seem).

NOAA presents the following tips:
1) Understand the weather patters in your area – find out when thunderstorms are most likely to occur, and don’t plan any regular flag football matches around that time.
2) If you’re outside, go inside.
3) If you’re inside, avoid windows, as well as anything that could carry acharge from a lightning strike into the house. This means plumbing, hard-wired electrical equipment, and land-line phones. Even something like a videogame console can get you zapped, if you’re playing when lighting strikes. It might be a good way to cure an addiction, though.
4) Avoid concrete walls. They often have metal reinforcement.
5) As much as you might want to, don’t go driving your soft-top convertible during a thunderstorm. It’s not safe.
6) Stay away from tall objects, even if they seem to provide shelter. Lightning hates tall things.
7) Wait a good thirty minutes after the last rumble of thunder before going back outside.

Useful suggestions, but not necessarily complete. I, JGordon, offer these tips:
1) Don’t offend lightning. Making sassy comments about lightning’s age, mother, or dropping out of community college are a sure fire way to get smoked. “Your mom’s so…” BAM! Like that. So watch your mouth.
2) Don’t hang out in lightning’s neighborhood. Avoid dark, towering clouds, K-Mart parking lots, and state park campgrounds. Especially if you’re alone.
3) Don’t ever assume that lightning is unarmed. Lightning is always packing heat. And, by heat, I mean lightning.
4) Before leaving the house each morning, throw away a dollar bill for lightning. If you live in an apartment, this isn’t strictly necessary.
5) Lightning is attracted to bright colors and high-contrast patterns. So wearing Zubas, in the rain is essentially a death wish. As if that’s anything new.
6) Lightning has the mentality of a wild animal (like a wolf or a zebra) that hates you. Accept this, and act accordingly.

If you follow all these tips to the letter, your chances of getting struck by lightning will probably fall to being about equal with your chances of accidentally buying the wrong brand of corn chips while shopping for groceries.

NOAA also reminds people that “lightning is a nervous system injury; it's not a burn injury.” It can cause lasting damage, from memory loss and depression to chronic pain and paralysis. So, if you do get attacked by lightning, it’s best to have a good lie-down after calling 9-1-1.

Protect yourself with knowledge!

Tags : safety, lightning

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Seagull Lake Island Fire: Photo Courtesy of Carol DeSain

Two months ago I spent a week canoeing, portaging, and camping in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. I visited many lakes, including Seagull Lake at the end of the Gunflint Trail. Today, the landscape of some of the lakes I visited is changing dramatically as fires move through the area. The Cavity Lake Fire is presently spanning about 22,000 acres. It is hard for me to imagine that some of the serene forests I awed at and some of the campsites I relaxed at are now merely ashes.

The wildfires in northern Minnesota got me thinking about the science behind forest fires. Forest fires (also called wildfires) are a natural occurrence. Lightning is the most common natural cause of the fires. Human carelessness and arson are unnatural causes. Droughts in the summer and high winds in the fall make areas more susceptible to forest fires.

The Cavity Lake Fire is a result of lightning. The drought conditions have created a dry wooded environment. Anyone who has a fireplace knows that the driest wood burns the best.

Also, this fire is moving through an area full of debris left over from a blowdown from a storm in 1999. There is unfortunately plenty of fuel to keep this fire going.

Most of the damage from this fire may not be apparent until it's over. The after effects of forest fires can be even more harmful than the fires themselves. Erosion, introduction of invasive species, landslides, and changes in water quality are a few of these negative outcomes.

While wildfires sound like a horrible catastrophe, they can actually be beneficial for an ecosystem. Periodic fires can help the overall health of the forest. They are important for nutrient cycling, improving habitats, and maintaining biodiversity.

It can actually be more harmful to prevent wildfires than to let them happen naturally. Suppression can lead to more dangerous and hotter fires, because the time without fires allows more time for debris to accumulate.

I am interested in revisiting Seagull Lake to see how the fire has altered the ecosystem I remember. From the photos, I can see it beginning to change.

Tags : drought, forest fires, wildfires, Boundary Waters Canoe Area, lightning

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