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The Eiffel Tower Made Its Own Lightning?!? Yes, Yes It Did!

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spaceweather.com — Photographed by Hakim Atek on 25 May 2009 in France. "The upward branching in this photo shows that the Eiffel Tower actually initiated the discharge," says lightning researcher Richard Blakeslee..."In other words, instead of starting in the cloud and coming to ground, this flash started when the tower 'launched' a leader that propagated upward..."

Here's the complete description from http://www.spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1& ... ("Spaceweather.com Time Machine", 28 May 2009, www.spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=28&month=05&year=2009):

"The upward branching in this photo shows that the Eiffel Tower actually initiated the discharge," says lightning researcher Richard Blakeslee of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. "In other words, instead of starting in the cloud and coming to ground, this flash started when the tower 'launched' a leader that propagated upward toward the cloud (which still served as the source of the electric field needed to get the process going). As the leader ascended, it branched out. Eventually one of the branches reached a region of sufficient charge to 'short out the cloud' and produce the return stroke pictured above." 

Volcano Eruption in Iceland Followed by “Dirty Thunderstorms”

From: http://incredibleworld.net/

Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland has continuing to gather our attention. The huge plume of ash which has covered almost whole western and northern Europe has made a lot of troubles to passengers and air traffic landing down the most of plane flights over the Europe.

But it still continues to send large amounts of ash into the air and photographers managed to catch some photos of rare phenomenon called a “dirty thunderstorm” which follows the eruption.

It is really amazing and also scary to see those photos where boiling stones and plenty of strong and shiny thunders are “dancing” and all that thing is followed by dark plume of ash.

It is not completely clear what is the real cause of such thunderstorms but scientists believe that they might be caused by ice particles mixed with volcanic ash and lava. As you can see from photos, those “dirty thunderstorms” are pretty intensive and at this moment, the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull volcano has took an apocalyptic look, considering the fact that it caused the breakdown of whole air traffic system for almost a week and we don’t know when it is going to end.

Image credits: Vilhelm Gunnarsson / EPA

Amazing Lightning Storm over Dubai Skyscraper

ngm.nationalgeographic.com — In Dubai, natural and man-made electricity illuminate the night. As jagged needles of lightning darn an overcast sky, the sail-shaped, 1,053-foot-tall Burj al Arab hotel glows green on the edge of the Persian Gulf. Click to enlarge...
 

Dramatic Image Shows Volcano's Lightning

By Andrea Thompson, Senior Writer

Scientists have pierced the veil of clouds around a volcanic plume to "see" lightning. Credit: Bretwood Higman

Redoubt was still steaming at dawn on Saturday, April 4, 2009. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey

For the first time, scientists have been able to “see” and trace lightning inside a plume of ash spewing from an actively erupting volcano.

When Alaska's Mount Redoubt volcano began rumbling back to life in January, a team of researchers scrambled to set up a system called a Lightning Mapping Array that would be able to peer through the dust and gas of any eruption that occurred to the lightning storm happening within. Lightning is known to flash in the tumultuous clouds belched out during volcanic eruptions.

The lightning produced when Redoubt finally erupted on March 22 was "prolific," said physicist Paul Krehbiel of New Mexico Tech. Check out the image.

"The lightning activity was as strong or stronger than we have seen in large Midwestern thunderstorms," Krehbiel said. "The radio frequency noise was so strong and continuous that people living in the area would not have been able to watch broadcast VHF television stations."

Lightning mapping arrays are increasingly being used by meteorologists to issue weather warnings, but have only been deployed at volcanoes twice before.

Thousands of individual segments of a single lightning stroke can be mapped with these arrays, and later analyzed to reveal how lightning initiates and spreads through a thunderstorm, or in a volcanic plume.

After setting up the arrays, researchers waited nearly two months for Redoubt's first eruption, but the wait was worth it.

"For the first time, we had the Lightning Mapping Array on site before the initial eruption," said scientist Sonja Behnke of New Mexico Tech.

The eruptions that continued to occur on March 22 and 23 provided plenty of data, and the arrays returned dramatic information about the electricity created within volcanic plumes, and the resulting lightning. As of today, Redoubt has erupted several times since its initial eruption on March 22.

"The data will allow us to better understand the electrical charge structure inside a volcanic plume," said scientist Ron Thomas of New Mexico Tech. "That should help us learn how the plume is becoming electrified, and how it evolves over time."

A recent study in the journal Nature found that volcanic plumes spin like tornadic thunderstorms, a finding which helps to explain the lightning storms, as well as the waterspouts and dust devils produced by some volcanic plumes.

The New Mexico Tech researchers plan to compare the Redoubt data with observations taken from Chaiten Volcano in Chile last year. The project was funded by the National Science Foundation.

Redoubt hasn't finished making noise yet; after quieting down for a few days, Redoubt exploded again, with the last major eruption occurring on March 28. Scientists at the Alaska Volcano Observatory expect the eruptions will continue periodically for weeks to months.

The Restive Redoubt Volcano Video

The Redoubt Volcano, which erupted several times since March 22, 2009, is seen here on Feb. 7, 2009.

Tallest and most expensive Lightning rod in the World

flickr.com — Burj Dubai hit buy lightning bolt.

This lightning bolt is the mother of all mothers

Uploaded on May 24, 2008
by A Fool in Miami

This was a wish granted. Ever since I was a kid I was fascinated by thunders storms and always wanted to capture this phenomenon. Finally, my wish came true.

It was so loud, that I fell and lost my hearing for a minute. Later the sounds of all the car alarms was so eerie.

Explored May 25th, 2008 #194

See some similar shots in the video below. About 3 minutes
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ3l9JmH8FE&feature=channel_page

This photo has notes. Move your mouse over the photo to see them.

The cow that was zapped by lightning - and survived

By Cher Thornhill

It has certainly been flame grilled but this extraordinary cow is still standing.

The poor creature was struck by lightning and left with blistering burns. You would expect it to have been cooked alive.

But the cow miraculously survived, apparently unperturbed by the ordeal, and is already back roaming the meadows.

Flame grilled: This poor cow was struck by lightning but, in a rare freak of nature, lives to the tell the tale

Professor of Physical Geography, Jon Nott of James Cook University, said the event was rare but entirely feasible.

He said: 'Cows are susceptible to lightning strikes because both sets of legs are on the ground.

'But, more often than not, they die from it.'

He added: 'The electricity from a lightning strike would enter the front set of legs and exit out the back legs so, based on the picture, it is possible it happened.

'While I can't explain the knee wounds, the ankle wounds would be consistent with those of lightning.'

The cow is believed to have been struck by the bolt in Gladstone, Queensland, Australia, last month.

But if it wasn't for its horrific wounds, you could hardly tell the animal had suffered.

Perhaps it has drawn comfort from the old wive's tale. After all, we are all told that lightning never strikes in the same place twice.

When Lightning Strikes

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