Sunday, April 2, 2023

A Superbolt Lightning on This Day in History

 

This Day in History: A superbolt, more powerful than an ordinary lightning bolt, struck a cornfield near Leland, Illinois, on this day in 1959, leaving a crater 1 foot deep, and breaking windows in homes almost 1 mile away.

Superbolts are rather loosely defined as strikes with a source energy of more than 100 gigajoule [100 GJ] (most lightning strikes come in at around 1 gigajoule [1 GJ]). Events of this magnitude occur about as frequently as one in 240 strikes. They are not categorically distinct from ordinary lightning strikes, and simply represent the uppermost edge of a continuum. Contrary to popular misconception, superbolts can be either positively or negatively charged, and the charge ratio is comparable to that of "ordinary" lightning.

"Superbolts are the most powerful lightning on Earth, with discharges so strong that they cannot be reproduced in the laboratory. The bolts also display geographic and seasonal attributes opposite that of regular lightning, adding to their mystery." Source


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