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A bolt of lightning heats the air along its path causing it to expand rapidly. Thunder is the sound caused by rapidly expanding air.
Are thunder and lightning the same?
Thunder is the sound caused by a nearby flash of lightning and can be heard for a distance of only about 10 miles from the lightning strike. Thunder is created when lightning passes through the air. The lightning discharge heats the air rapidly and causes it to expand.
What is worse thunder or lightning?
Both occur at the same time during a thunderstorm, but since light travels faster than sound, lightning is seen first before one can hear the sound of thunder. Lightning is fast and very hot while thunder can usher in heavy rain and strong winds, but lightning is more dangerous and destructive than thunder.
Can there be lightning without thunder?
No, it is not possible to have thunder without lightning. Thunder starts as a shockwave from the explosively expanding lightning channel when a large current causes rapid heating. However, it is possible that you might see lightning and not hear the thunder because it was too far away.
Which is faster lightning or thunder?
Lightning travels at the speed of light, about 186,000 miles per second. Thunder travels much slower, at the speed of sound, about 1088 feet per second. It takes sound about 5 seconds to travel one mile.
What color is lightning?
The distinctive blue-white color of lightning is caused by light emitted as the electrons drop back to their original energy states. Seen from above, lightning storms also produce less well-known emissions of blue or red light above the clouds, known as jets and sprites.
Who is the god of lightning?
Zeus is the god of lightning in Greek mythology. He is the youngest son of the Titans Cronus and Rhea.
What are the 3 types of lightning?
There are three common types of lightning: cloud to ground, cloud to cloud and cloud to air. Cloud to ground lightning is the most dangerous. The ground is mainly consisted of positively charged particles while the bottom of violent storm clouds have negative charged particles.
What color lightning is the strongest?
White – this is by far one of the most dangerous color of lightning due to the fact that this type of lightning is the hottest. This color can indicate a low concentration of moisture in the air as well as a high concentration of dust in the air.
What are the 4 types of lightning?
Types of Lightning Cloud-to-Ground (CG) Lightning. Negative Cloud-to-Ground Lightning (-CG) Positive Cloud-to-Ground Lightning (+CG) Cloud-to-Air (CA) Lightning. Ground-to-Cloud (GC) Lightning. Intracloud (IC) Lightning.
What does it mean when lightning keeps flashing?
Understanding Lightning: Continuing Current/Hot Lightning Flashes which contain both return strokes and continuing current are also common. These flashes will flicker, leaders/return strokes, and also have short periods of constant illumination, continuing current.
Why does it thunder but no rain?
Thunderstorms are usually accompanied by rain. Dry thunderstorm refers to thunder and lightning that occur without bringing rain to the ground. In fact, the thunder-bearing clouds do produce rain but the rain droplets have evaporated in the air before reaching the ground.
How do you stop lightning from hitting your house?
4 Ways To Protect Your Home From Lightning Use a home lightning protection system Unplug electronics and appliance. Install transient voltage surge suppressors Check your homeowners and renters insurance coverage.
What comes first thunder of lightning?
If we are watching the sky, we see the lightning before we hear the thunder. That is because light travels much faster than sound waves. We can estimate the distance of the lightning by counting how many seconds it takes until we hear the thunder.
Is lightning hotter than the sun?
In fact, lightning can heat the air it passes through to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit (5 times hotter than the surface of the sun). When lightning strikes a tree, the heat vaporizes any water in its path possibly causing the tree to explode or a strip of bark to be blown off.
How far is lightning per second?
The Correct Method to Calculate Lightning Distance If thunder is heard The lightning is . . . 5 seconds after a flash 1 mile away 10 seconds after a flash 2 miles away 15 seconds after a flash 3 miles away 20 seconds after a flash 4 miles away.
Can lightning black?
Although they may blast out large numbers of gamma rays, they generate very little visible light, leading scientists to call the phenomenon “dark lightning.” In contrast, dark lightning involves high-energy electrons. These electrons slam into air molecules, producing gamma rays.
What Colour is water?
The water is in fact not colorless; even pure water is not colorless, but has a slight blue tint to it, best seen when looking through a long column of water. The blueness in water is not caused by the scattering of light, which is responsible for the sky being blue.
Is green lightning real?
Green lightning does indicate that the cloud is extremely tall, and because thunderclouds are the tallest clouds, green is a warning sign that large hail or a tornado is on the way. Green lightning has only been photographed once when the Chaiten volcano in Chile erupted. Spewing an ash cloud into the atmosphere.
