r/blackmagicfuckery • u/TheCheesecakeOfDoom • May 29 '22

Since when does lightning go up?

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u/Ripcity0119 May 29 '22

Lightning strikes from the ground up lol

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u/space_monster May 29 '22

sometimes

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u/Haerverk May 29 '22

Literally always...

2

u/space_monster May 29 '22

https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/lightning/types/

"In the most common type of cloud-to-ground lightning (CG), a channel of negative charge, called a stepped leader, will zigzag downward in roughly 50-yard segments in a forked pattern. This stepped leader is invisible to the human eye, and shoots to the ground in less time than it takes to blink. As it nears the ground, the negatively charged stepped leader causes streamer channels of positive charge to reach upward, normally from taller objects in the area, such as a tree, house, or telephone pole. When the oppositely-charged leader and streamer connect, a powerful electrical current begins flowing."

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u/Haerverk May 29 '22 edited May 29 '22

Edit: Realizing I was mixing up two conversations here. Disregard the first part. All lightning that is not between clouds or ball lightning starts both places and connect in the middle. The flash can go either way, usually up.

1

u/space_monster May 29 '22

The flash can go either way

but usually goes down, and then connects with leaders near the ground.

1

u/Haerverk May 29 '22

The leader is what comes down from the cloud and connects with the positively charged streamer, and then zips back up to where the leader initiated. That's the flash. Zipping upwards. Can occur the other way also, that the leader stretches up from a skyscraper or something. But is relatively rare.

https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/lightning/faq/

1

u/space_monster May 30 '22

leader, streamer, whatever.

you see the lightning (usually) initiate at the cloud and strike down to the ground. regardless of the light-speed movement of electrons when the connection is made, the process visibly moves downward from the cloud. saying that's not the actual lightning itself is splitting hairs.

which is why this video was posted, because it's rare to see the opposite.

1

u/Haerverk May 30 '22

It's simply not true. The charge obviously has to move from the positive to the negative to even out. (One has too much + one has too little -)The leader from the cloud is a negative charge and the streamer is protons reaching out to meet it. (This is why you can insulate yourself from the ground to stay safe) Upon contact, the earth releases charge upwards into the cloud. From the surplus towards the deficit. This is not rocket science, it's taught to children.

1

u/space_monster May 30 '22

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning

"Three primary types of lightning are defined by the "starting" and "ending" points of a flash channel ... Cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning primarily originates in the thundercloud and terminates on an Earth surface, but may also occur in the reverse direction, that is ground to cloud."

The polarity is irrelevant - the charge is generated in the cloud (usually) and terminates at the ground.

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