when it’s too fast to see, and too important not to.®
CASE STUDY
1
Stepped leader paths during a lightning strike.
WHEN IT’S TOO FAST TO SEE, AND TOO IMPORTANT NOT TO®
Lighting is one of the most remarkable phenomena that this planet has to offer. To make sense of the occurrence, mankind has drawn on mythology, highlighted by Zeus, the Greek god of the sky and the weather whose symbol is the thunderbolt.
Fast forward several thousand years to one of the most notable experiments that history books have to offer: Benjamin Franklin was able to decisively prove that lightning is electric, thanks to sending up a kite and key during an approaching storm and drawing an electric charge from the clouds. A few hundred years later, substantially more is known about lightning, thanks to significant advancements in scientific research, meteorology and technology that allows researchers to dig deeper into Mother Nature’s light show.
Even though research to date has amassed a multitude of valuable information both for safety and scientific use, researchers like Tim Samaras, a renowned professional storm chaser backed by the National Geographic Society, continue to raise the bar and set new standards in analyzing lightning and its underlying characteristics. With the help of Vision Research, a leading manufacturer of
high-speed, high-performance
digital cameras, Samaras was able to capture what’s known as the “stepped leader,” the process by which a lightning bolt
“Plenty of still photographs and
video of lightning strikes already
exist; however, when it comes to the stepped leader of a lightning bolt, none are useful enough for research purposes. I turned to the National
Geographic Society, and shared my goal of recording the formation of a stepped leader. Recognizing the significance of the project,
National Geographic agreed to
fund my research and I immediately called on Vision Research and its
high-speed digital imaging systems.”
- Tim Samaras,
Professional Storm Chaser
Vision Research
Phantom® cameras record formatirmation of stepped leader patpatpaths
during a lightning strike.
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ghtning
