*lightning* Can someone please explain this fascinating moment

[free_man]

One of the all-time great lightning videos I have seen.

After several watchings and being obessed with thunderstorms and lightning my whole life, my question is: was the blue pulsing at end connecting up into the stratosphere at 1:13-1:16?

It may be just obessing over nothing, which is fine. I do not have much knowledge of lightning, at least very technically, it was a pretty cool moment in the video .

[CAT5ANDREW]

Reminds me of JULY 1977, AUG 1983, JULY 9 1987,MAY 31st 1995,JUNE 27 2007,JUNE 14th 2008 here in Queens NY.Very rare to get something this intense.Great video,the best one I have ever seen for lightning.

[Vandy]

I've never heard a noise like at 3:35 before. Very interesting.

[bluewave]

I've never heard a noise like at 3:35 before. Very interesting.

That's the sound that you hear when you are too close for comfort.

I have heard that sound several times during very close CG strikes.

One time was when lightning struck a light pole behind my house.

[Ellinwood]

One of the all-time great lightning videos I have seen.

After several watchings and being obessed with thunderstorms and lightning my whole life, my question is: was the blue pulsing at end connecting up into the stratosphere at 1:13-1:16?

It may be just obessing over nothing, which is fine. I do not have much knowledge of lightning, at least very technically, it was a pretty cool moment in the video .

It looks like it hit a transformer (the exploding transformer would give off that kind of light), and that the light was actually just reflecting off of the cloud base and was not within the cloud itself.

There IS lightning phenomena called sprites or jets that do go far, far up into the Earth's atmosphere, but I don't think that's what was on this video.

[Kevin Druff]

I've never heard a noise like at 3:35 before. Very interesting.

That's the sound that you hear when you are too close for comfort.

I have heard that sound several times during very close CG strikes.

One time was when lightning struck a light pole behind my house.

Yes. My apartment building was struck by lightning when I lived in Arkansas and it's a completely different sound than anything you've heard before. You hear it almost before your mind processes what it is.

Our apartment came out okay, but the folks on other end took it pretty hard. Blew up their TV and most of the electrical outlets were black.

[bluewave]

Yes. My apartment building was struck by lightning when I lived in Arkansas and it's a completely different sound than anything you've heard before. You hear it almost before your mind processes what it is.

Our apartment came out okay, but the folks on other end took it pretty hard. Blew up their TV and most of the electrical outlets were black.

You can hear what it's like to be really close in the video also:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1sVf8HZ3Ps

[Bozart]

After several watchings and being obessed with thunderstorms and lightning my whole life, my question is: was the blue pulsing at end connecting up into the stratosphere at 1:13-1:16?

If you mean the "bolt" that seemed to strike inside of the courtyard, that is a commonplace optical illusion to which camcorders are susceptible called a "ghost bolt." I once saw CNN feature a video for days on end in which they claimed some people nearly got struck, but it was just a ghost bolt -- the actual lightning was very far away, as many commenters in the story noted, and as the delay to thunder proved.

Notice how the shape of the ghost bolt exactly matches the genuine article. NOT a coincidence. An optical illusion.

[Chicago Storm]

4/4/08 was without a doubt the best lightning display I have seen.

[Ellinwood]

If you mean the "bolt" that seemed to strike inside of the courtyard, that is a commonplace optical illusion to which camcorders are susceptible called a "ghost bolt." I once saw CNN feature a video for days on end in which they claimed some people nearly got struck, but it was just a ghost bolt -- the actual lightning was very far away, as many commenters in the story noted, and as the delay to thunder proved.

Notice how the shape of the ghost bolt exactly matches the genuine article. NOT a coincidence. An optical illusion.

lol news people can't even consult a professional photographer who could tell you without even thinking that it's an image artifact.

[Rick G]

lol news people can't even consult a professional photographer who could tell you without even thinking that it's an image artifact.

cool video, most camera's have multiple lenses or an assembly of lenses. the ghost bolt is most likely caused by a the reflection off the lens. Also soe the better video camera have multi ccds and that can also cause artifacts.

One last cause is the camera could have moved as the bolt was visible.

[free_man]

If you mean the "bolt" that seemed to strike inside of the courtyard, that is a commonplace optical illusion to which camcorders are susceptible called a "ghost bolt." I once saw CNN feature a video for days on end in which they claimed some people nearly got struck, but it was just a ghost bolt -- the actual lightning was very far away, as many commenters in the story noted, and as the delay to thunder proved.

Notice how the shape of the ghost bolt exactly matches the genuine article. NOT a coincidence. An optical illusion.

LOL I'm not a complete beginner, thank you though.

I was talking about the exaggerated "pulse" at the very end of the whole sequence, there are blue hued illuminations well after the strike that seem to pulse for a second or two.