In just 2 days, up to 4 million lightning strikes were reported in Australia a few weeks ago. What are the keys to this natural phenomenon?
If we were to represent what the apocalypse could be like, without a doubt, lightning would have a place in the photo. Thunderstorms are one of the most impressive natural phenomena that nature gives us. The sound that is emitted, together with the speed at which this electrical mass falls, is something incredible. It could be said that they are even pretty to look at if one is under cover, right? The problem is to face a tangle of up to 4 million lightning bolts without any protection.
this is fair what happened a few weeks ago in Australia, a country that experienced all this electrical charge in just a couple of days. At this point, it is worth knowing, from the perspective of a renowned specialist in the field, what this beam of light consists of, why various steps are formed between the cloud and the final fall and, of course, to what extent We are faced with a differential natural phenomenon as far as representation is concerned. John Lowke, former CSIRO scientist and now UniSA Research Associate Professor has shed light on this. On his day, we already told you about the curious inverted lightning bolts.
Let’s see, therefore, how it was possible for millions of lightning strikes to take place in such a short period of time, why it is something strange in relation to many other collected data and, of course, To what extent are we facing a unique scenario? and unrepeatable. Can an episode similar to the one that occurred in Australia take place again or is it something that will hardly happen again? Here are all the keys to understanding what happened.
Why doesn’t lightning strike in a straight line from the cloud? Apparently, according to information from the University of South Australia, everything is due to the presence of singlet-delta metastable oxygen molecules. Lightning is a consequence of the blow that occurs between electrons and oxygen molecules, giving rise to the aforementioned high-energy delta singlet oxygen molecules. This ends up deriving in the image that we usually associate with this type of event.
A lightning bolt is a set of physical reactions that, in a chain, derive in this electrical beam of light. Image: RTVE
Now, what to do when there are 4 million lightning strikes striking a certain territory? The so-called lightning rods become one of the most interesting inventions. Ultimately, even though the chances of being struck by lightning are very small, this increases considerably if we are faced with a whole tangle of them. In these cases, therefore, it is necessary to carry out a good prevention program. Therefore, the vast majority of buildings in a city should have their corresponding technology to attract them.
People inside the structures will not notice a thing, and instead will experience incredibly powerful electrical discharges just a few meters away. This, however, is completely safe. To enjoy this solution, it is necessary to mention Benjamin Franklin, the creator of lightning rods. It is a technology based on a thick wire that is attached to the top of a building and connected to the ground. In this way, the ultimate goal of lightning is achieved before it disappears.
Events like the one that occurred on the weekend of November 12 and 13 in Australia they do nothing more than justify the introduction of regulations in this regard. After all, there are still many buildings that do not have adequate protection, being able to end up on fire in the event of a lightning strike or, of course, not fulfilling their role and making passersby more likely to fall. of the lightning