Interesting and little known facts about lightning

For some lightning — it's a Keeper, for others — symbol of how fast I have to run to the store, and for third — what is drawn on the grill of their German car or on the forehead of Gary Potter. But for most lightning — it is still the same natural phenomenon which occurs during thunderstorms, and of great interest to photographers. Indeed , but most know about them only what is enough to stop be afraid of them, as did our ancestors hundreds of years ago. Although, many fear they are now. In this article we will talk about interesting facts about lightning, and what they really fear.

Statistics of lightning strikes

You've Probably guessed that the lightning have a very high temperature, but I'm pretty sure most people didn't even imagine that it is five times the surface temperature of the Sun and reaches nearly 30,000 degrees Celsius. Of course, this is a rough estimate but several times the excess is very sure.

The Speed of propagation of lightning reaches 56000 km per second. I mean, just for one moment, she can do almost half a revolution around our planet. The average time of discharge is about a quarter of a second, and the average length zipper — 9-10 kilometers.

Much less hurried are thunderstorms, which are like lightning. They move in an hour only 40 km away, But every second in the world 1800 rattle of thunder, and every second on the planet's surface has according to various estimates from 40 to 60 of lightning.

So the lightning look for their space.

If you thought that lightning, as the saying goes, never strikes twice in one place, then you were wrong. It's very common. Especially if the storm is not moving very quickly. The opposite opinion was formed just due to the fast movement of the thunderstorms. In this case, the lightning just did not have time two times hit in one place.

Dangerous if hit by lightning for a person

But to the question ”can you survive after a lightning strike,” there is no single answer. More precisely, it sounds like a ”maybe Yes, maybe no.” Approximately 25 percent of those who got struck by lightning die. Actually it's not much, given the characteristics of this phenomenon. the Problem is that in the case of survival, there is a risk of serious damage to organs and nervous system. Among the side effects can be mentioned loss of memory, loss of sensitivity, sleep disturbance, impaired sensation and pain that persist for many years.

looks like the man who was struck by lightning. The body goes through its very strong shock.

lightning hits the world hard to find, as in some African villages it is just not maintained. But there is in Russia and the United States. In the first case, about 500 people per year, and the second — 200 people per year. ACCORDING to some estimates the chances of dying by lightning is one in two million. With the same probability to die, falling out of bed. What to do with this information, decide for yourself.

A Little ambiguous data say that in men the lightning hits about 6 times more often than in women. Most likely, this was not about mysticism or what you think. The most likely explanation is that men more time on the street. Especially in the fields during agricultural work, where they are and finds the storm.

While most lightning strikes to people not in the midst of the storm. According to the national weather service, lightning can ”reach” from a distance of 15 km. So if you hear thunder, you are already in potential danger.

Few people want to be killed by lightning.

And don't stand next to the cows and oak trees. near the cows the chance of being struck by lightening is higher (logically, after all, killed the shepherds who couldn't leave the herd and keep up on the street) and oak zippers often get just the statistics. As such there is no defense, although in some sources is found in the middle of the last Millennium, ladies wore hats, which were of metal, and the earth was dragging the wire. This here is a portable lightning rod.

And they say that if clothes are wet, the lightning will cause less harm. Most likely, it will occur as in the case of lightning strike to the car.

is it Dangerous lightning in the car, plane, house

Here, too, it is difficult to give a definite answer, but if technology everything is OK, and building is a lightning rod, it is rather safe. There are even statistics that aircraft lightning strikes on average every seven to ten thousand hours of flying time. This is often enough.

Lightning hits the plane not so colorful, but for obvious reasons real photo no.

In the case of the car getting too safe. The fact that the body is essentially a Faraday cage. The charge passes through it and does no harm to the man inside. However, it can damage electrical equipment. . The fuselage has additional security elements, which conduct electricity through it on the ground. Lightning inthe plane is not even a freelance situation. Just testing systems and, if all goes well, the aircraft continues to move.

here is the Faraday cage. People in security.

A Lightning rod in the houses is a made above the roof element, which is connected to ground and is securely isolated from the building structure. Since the zipper is on the shortest path to the ground, she enters this element and safely discharged without causing harm to other objects. For example, we can say that the world famous Empire state building lightning strikes about 25 times a year. Lightning decides.

it looks like the lightning rod on the roof.

Usually it makes no sense to put lightning rods on every house — enough in a relatively large area. Of course it needs to be on the highest building or a tower.

Why is thunder heard after lightning

Surely the answer to this question, many of you know, but without it the story would not be complete. There is enough to go into physics and the answer will appear by itself.

Thunder and lightning occur at one point. The thunder is the result of allocating a large amount of energy in a lightning strike. You've got to understand that the thunder — it's the sound of a zipper — is light. at the Earth's surface is about 340 meters per second. The speed of light is 300,000 kilometers per second.

At a rough calculation it can be assumed that light reaches us instantly without any delay, and the sound is 340 meters per second. In summary, multiplying the number of seconds between the flash and the way we hear thunder, 340, it is possible to obtain the distance to the lightning in meters.

Lightning and planet

Lightning can appear not only on our planet, but on the other, if there are favorable conditions for their formation — a gaseous medium. So, lightning can be seen on Saturn, Uranus, Venus and Jupiter. On some of these planets lightning in hundreds, thousands and even millions of times more powerful than earth's.

Jupiter also has lightning.

While even on the Ground when lightning strikes the sand in it then you can find strips of glass that are formed from such exposure. However, this is true only when ordinary lightning. Ball, this effect will not give. And to see her is rare. Likely to do this at least once in your life is less than one chance out of ten thousand.

It would Seem that our planet is three quarters covered with water and that the water needs to beat the lightning. But it's not. Over land formed a powerful convection air flow and 80 percent of lightning strikes in a hard surface.

sometimes, However, lightning hit the water.

In General, the surface of the Earth reaches only a quarter of the lightning. The rest are discharged between the layers of air masses at different heights.

Lightning in people's beliefs

These beliefs are many and to list all makes no sense. Will only highlight a few, the most interesting and more or less confirmed.

About the cows and the probability to die next to them I mentioned above. But there's a scientific and statistical explanation, and the fact that in the middle ages lightning chased bells, there is only religious. It was believed that the bells , and the thunder and lightning was the manifestation of evil forces. That is why during a thunderstorm, tried to ring all the bells, which have only been in the village or town. This led to the fact that the victims were often ringers, as churches and temples have always been the tallest buildings in the area. Perhaps it would have helped a Bay leaf, but its protective properties from lightning believed only the British.

Lightning helped to nucleate pearls. At least this was believed by the ancient Greeks, believing that his appearance is a result of a lightning strike to the surface of the sea. And the Aztecs believed that lightning helps the souls of the dead easier to be in the depths of the earth. They thought that she breaks down the land, accompanying the dead in their difficult path.

Where are the lightning

Now the answer to this question is unequivocal. They appear from the atmosphere and are discharge between the layers of air or layer of air and earth. Sometimes they hit the ground, and sometimes between the layers of the atmosphere, but to the modern educated person's stuff. But before people that did not come up.. the Most famous character is Zeus — God of sky, thunder and lightning in Greek mythology. He was not only chief of the gods, husband of Hera, and brother of Poseidon, but also was in charge of the world. That is, he was the chief God. In Roman mythology he was identified with Jupiter, the Slavs was Perun, and the Scandinavians — a torus.

Zeus is always portrayed in very different ways.

There were other beliefs, but they usually were local or based on local beliefs of the character. In the first case, it was a weapon of some mystical creatures living in the cave, the valley, Harbor, and other places that didn't want to him someone was approaching, and thus protected their possessions. In the second case, it was the belief in the wrath of the local gods or Vice versa warning light of impending trouble.

Options have always beenmany, not surprisingly, so as to explain the principle of operation of a lightning without a knowledge of physics and its division of electrical, it was simply impossible. So people come up with that is not falling, in fact just sharing their fantasies.

Why are people afraid of thunder and lightning

As the last fact in this article, I will give the reasons for the fear of thunder and lightning nowadays. First and foremost, it should be noted that such a fear is called brontophobia and is most often found in young people up to 25 years and mainly in women.

Most cases of fear of thunderstorms is common in children but not rare cases when this fear sweeps through life, almost unabated. This can even occur due to a single severe fright when the child was found with this phenomenon, not being ready for it and knowing nothing about it.

Lightning fascinates and frightens at the same time.

The thunder have a certain tone, which is perceived on a subconscious level, and a bright flash of light in the dark, when the night lights up like day, but a purple glow, causing even more fear. Especially to four years who just don't know what to expect from a new phenomenon.

There are Also genetic time, because our ancestors were not as protected as we are. They had no understanding, about which I wrote above, and reliable home. Wooden and straw houses were burnt down by lightning, trees falling, and people were often killed on the spot.

All this has led, leads and will lead to the emergence of the people brontophobia, which does not prevent to live in the truest sense of the word, but makes it not comfortable on rainy days. You have to put up with it.

the Famous God of thunder of Norse mythology Thor.