The Speaking Mind #1 -- Mysteries of Lightning

in #science7 years ago

Mysteries of Lightening - The Speaking Mind #1


Hey guys....!! Welcome to the show of THE SPEAKING MIND. Almost all of us are quite familiar about lightning and all of us have seen "lightning". But have we ever been puzzled by "how it happens ?". Every body just knows, it happens, but does not know how it happens. So today we shall discuss about its scientific part and its mysterious part. Today even science has been puzzled by the mysteries of lightning because "even after 250 years of research, it needs additional research to solve its dilemma".


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Scientific Analysis of Lightning :-

Observation #1

Cloud comprises of both positive and negative charges. Negative charges at the cloud base induce a build up of positive charge on earth's surface directly below.

Question #1 

How do the opposite charges get separated from the cloud ?

lightning_BPFM

Observation #2

Negative charges move from the bottom of the cloud towards the ground ionizing the air and forming "step leaders" or invisible conductive path. Meanwhile streamers of positive charge move upward from the ground towards the cloud.

Question #2

The electric field between the bottom of cloud and the ground does not seem strong enough to breakdown the insulating properties of air. So these "step leaders" or "invisible path" should not form owing to the fact that "air is not a good conductor".

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Observation #3

When a step leader connects to a streamer, negative charges pour down, visible to us as a "lightning bolt". Repeated strikes occur until the charges drained off from the cloud.

Question #3

How can lightning propagate so far travelling through air, which is not considered to be a good conductor ?

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Observation #4

Most of the power lightning happens over sea. Scientific clues for this is "presence of increased concentration of salt in the atmosphere over sea". 

Question #4

"Salt concentration is the logic behind powerful strikes". if this is the logic, then it will be further countered by the fact  that "salt is a dicey suspect for causing powerful lightning", because atmospheric concentration of salt rise and fall with seasons , but not in synch with seasonal rise and fall of powerful lightning strokes.There is no one single mechanism which can justify the stronger peak current lightning over sea.

Lightning_formation

So Science even after having its 250 years of research is puzzling by the mysteries of lightning. Is not it..? For time being the cause of powerful lighting over sea will apparently remain a mystery.  This latest research might imply increased salinity and large ice  crystals in combination with storm physics could be the cause. Any  conclusive theory will probably wait for additional research. 

Charged_cloud_animation_4a


So the mysteries of lightning continues........



References :-

(1)Source 1

(2)Source 2

(3)Source 3

(4)Source 4



That"s all for today. Thank you so much. Any further input or debate is always welcome. Please feel free to put your thoughts in comment section. Have a Great Day.


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Good stuff! Love science.

Should've included the best position to shield yourself against an impending strike!

(Squatted down, on balls of feet with ankles together, head down, hands over ears) after the hair on your whole body stands up, its coming.

Thanks a lot sir

This post has received a 12.51 % upvote from @buildawhale thanks to: @shivohum2015.

Very informative post. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you sir....its great to have you on board...

Interesting, both topic and post! :)

Thank you sir

Woow! what a cool picture and educational blog!! I need to read this from time to time, as I forget from so many years ago out of school!

This post has received a 0.63 % upvote from @drotto thanks to: @banjo.

Very nice post and good information,but try to write your own content because if on your posts people see @cheetha then you going to loose their trust,but apart from that thanks for share :)

I have commented on cheetah also, if u could take some time to read, it will give a better pciture, from whereever i gathered info i have given references and the link cheetah has referred to is no way copy pasted in this blog........sometimes we get carried away by what a bot like cheetah says, but they may be wrong...

Hi! I am a robot. I just upvoted you! I found similar content that readers might be interested in:
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/estatics/Lesson-4/Lightning

Dear @cheetah its good to haunt spammer, but do u think in the process u r haunting down potential blogger as well, the link you have referred....have been checked by me and no way i have copy pasted any thing from that link and not only that i was not even aware of that link and only after your reference i checked it and further from the sources where i derived some inputs, i have clearly given the references, then what is the point of "haunting me", i would have accepted, if i have made anything like that, its really dissapointing when after putting 36 hrs of effort and maintaining the ettiquete of steemit, if someone is having this fate, then its really very disspointing. I am really sad today

This post has received a 5.64 % upvote from @booster thanks to: @shivohum2015.

Interesting research. You've done really well in presenting this information. Great work.

Thank you so much and nice to have you in my post