Awesome lightning story

[mckitterick]

For other weather-porn lovers, I share this image from WIRED magazine. A typical spring day in Kansas:


Click the image to see the story.

You really need to click the image to see it full size with info about each type of lightning.

Best,
Chris

Comments

[chernobylred.livejournal.com]

10. Red sprite Positively charged cloud-to-ground lightning makes the cloud more negative. That negative field reaches upward above the cloud, where lower air densities mean less energy to produce a discharge—which then glows red.

Why have I never seen (or even heard of) glowing red lightning? I mean, I'm a pretty negative cloud myself, sometimes. C'mon, red lightning. Show a girl some love, here.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

I think people usually refer to them as "UFOs."

[fortyozspartan.livejournal.com]

lulz...

[ryltar.livejournal.com]

That is really cool. I knew several of the types shown there, but not all of them.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

I know!

Hey, thanks for coming to my reading. Glad you liked it!

[ryltar.livejournal.com]

Make sure you post when your book is available for purchase.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Trust me, I shall post to high heaven. And there will be contests and give-aways and a party and all kinds of fun stuff related to the release!

[siro-gravity.livejournal.com]

can i come?

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Absolutely! Would be great to meet you :-)

[siro-gravity.livejournal.com]

likewise. :)

poor kitteh in your icon looks like s/he is missing an eyeball.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

No, it's just light and shadow. Here she is with glowing eyes.

[siro-gravity.livejournal.com]

scienz fickshun kitteh...

haz starz in aiz

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

:-D

[normalcyispasse.livejournal.com]

I saw that in Wired and was captivated. I did a lot of Googling for things like "red sprite" immediately. How freaking cool!

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

I know! WIRED got me to check online, and then of course I had to share.

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Great stuff! I've never seen red lightning either. I guess cause I don't live in Kansas.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

To be honest, I haven't seen it, either: You need to be high above the clouds to see it. In an orbiting space station, for example. But we do get plenty of the other cool lightning.

I don't think

[dragonet2.livejournal.com]

anyone knew about blue jets or red sprites for sure until we could photograph thunderclouds from the top (from space).

WOOT. Chris, you keep posting things that make me smile! Keep it up! Thanks!

And thunderstorms here on the great plains are an event. Even though I live in the middle of a city (KC) they're splendid and sometimes frightening. We have the benefit of a TV tower in the neighborhood, which takes the worst of the lightning strikes. It is very loud when it hits the tower.

Re: I don't think

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

True!

I live far away from lightning-magnets, but one can hear them strike every so often. And then the lights go out.

[wolfshaman.livejournal.com]

That was great info. Thanks for sharing!

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

The only thing I love more than my weather-porn is sharing it ;-)

[siro-gravity.livejournal.com]

would you look at that awesome spider lightening????? this is exactly the look i try to achieve when i tease my hair. :)

i agree with chernobyl_red on the red sprite. i have never once seen anything even approximating red lightening!!

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Someday, I hope to be in a space vehicle orbiting the Earth over a thunderstorm and be able to see one myself!