Catching Lightning in the Act - New Insights from X-Ray Imaging

Explore groundbreaking research on lightning in this 32-minute press conference from the 2010 AGU Fall Meeting. Delve into the mysteries of how lightning travels from cloud to ground, examining recent discoveries including the emission of x-rays during lightning strikes. Learn about the world's first x-ray images of lightning, captured moments before impact, and witness the fastest-ever recorded video of a natural lightning strike at 300,000 frames per second. Gain insights into how lightning creates ionized channels, spreads towards the ground, and releases energy. Join Professor Joseph Dwyer and graduate students Dustin Hill and Meagan Schaal as they present their findings, shedding new light on this powerful natural phenomenon 250 years after Benjamin Franklin's famous kite experiment.

Catching lightning in the act