What Type Of Lightning

[dogs32]

In the first clip you can just about make out a small eletric discharge from the ground where Danny is standing.....

Milliseconds later the main bolt occurs in the second shot....

My Q is what type of lightning occurs milli seconds before the main bolt...Slightly confused on the internet with the answers...

The first shot was so fast that it it pure accident to discover it....

both caps from Danny..WiganWeather

thx danny hope you dont mind me posting these two up thx...

what is this that the human eye cant capture...........its just a fraction of ONE frame

what is this that the human eye cant capture...........its just a fraction of ONE frame

the only other place I have seen it was watching the 2008 Storm chase in the Bears Cage appearing milliseconds before the main bolt...and completely seperate...

any IDEAS??

[dogs32]

THATS what i was thinking..im sure i watched a video once saying before the main bolt there are hundres of bolts or small dischrges trying to meet the main bolt..if this is the case Danny might have been ashes

its a r ace for the dischrges to meet the main event....

I thought of camera reflection but not convinced

[Paul Sherman]

Well that has me baffled and a Little relieved Because if he did become Bacon I would of been to blame (Although I did tell him not to get out of the Car next to a 300ft Radio Mast)

Part of me thinks it is an Optical Illusion of the Video Camera picking up a Reflection Milliseconds before the actual CG. I remember the Ness City Bears Cage one from last year appearing on the Car Bonnet before some Power Poles were struck. So although not 100% would lean towards an Optical Illusion.

Paul S

[LauraWibs]

Have a look at this... http://wvlightning.com/videoghost.shtml

[dogs32]

lol.i do remember you asking him......lol........Danny seems to be attracted to lightning............now I have 4 shots of him by lightning bolts...

cheers Laura put in favs..excellent link

[Paul Sherman]

Wow

That settles it then, just read through that and it explains quite a lot

Cheers

Paul S

[Phil UK]

First pic is a streamer leaving the ground. If that had connected to a +CG/-CG from the cloud then basically, you would have been toast. (Or deaf at least from the initial bang of thunder afterwards). Fortunately, this one in your pic failed to connect.

A great pic and them streamers are very rare to catch as they do only last for a fraction of a second. Well done.

Phil.

[dogs32]

to be honest Phill I agree with you....

I have a video somewhere back in the VHS days on how REALLY lightning first starts from low points which travel upwards....Its only the first few or one becomes the main bolt....

yes Danny could of been toast

this capture was real difficult to get....1 frame......if this was a camera blur then i think there would of been more milli seconds frames........so difficult to find,it was only pure accident of discoverying it...

video from Wiganweather

[Phil UK]

Regardless, Dogs32. That is a rare pic and placing the both together. Notice what is called a stepped leader that did connect with a streamer leaving the ground but thankfully away from Danny. The other fork bolts of lightning were looking for, (but not necessarily visible to the human eye as it all happens in a fraction of a second!) but unsuccessfully connected. If you're nearby and if streamer leaves your head, then duck down, or could run like fu... You get the idea!

Otherwise, see pics below and to the bottom right where a stepped leader/streamer is made, and what happens when connects.

Blimey!!

Phil.

[Evening thunder]

I'm pretty sure its just a 'ghosting effect' caused by reflection in the camera lens or something like that, as explained well by the link LauraWibs posted.

[dogs32]

thanks for that Phill......Stormad...I still think its a streamer even though they are rare on camera...

Just my thought.....Even though Laura link is excellent..

streamers are Caught on camera sometimes but not that common

Next year Im keeping away from Danny in the field of chasing.too much lightning around him in other pics..

[Nick F]

Interesting this, as I think someone picked up on this from video we took on storm chase 3 in Kansas last year when we were sat watching CGs land around us. I have grabbed a few stills and the first one shows a faint 'upward leader' or discharge seemingly off the bonnet (note: not a reflection or flash infront either) before there is a brighter flash above or behind our car in the next frame:

As said, maybe ghost effect in camera, but faint discharges off metal objects like our car in the midst of a thunderstorm can't be ruled out either?

Here's the full video with clip of the lightning in KS in there aswell as other clips (contains foul language): http://www.motionbox.com/videos/a79ed8b71f...er_&type=sd