RE: [Paddlewise] Anyone understand lightning?

From: Rafael Mier Maza <sildriel_at_ciateq.net.mx>
Date: Tue, 20 Aug 2002 17:36:59 -0500
At 05:16 p.m. 20/08/02 -0400, Rick.Sylvia_at_ferguson.com wrote:
>Is the following true or false?  I've heard in the past that lightening 
>(the actual energy and "charge") actually goes from the ground up, and 
>it's just the visual aspect that appears to go from the sky down. Is that 
>true?  What exactly is taking place here?
Clouds can be charged positively or negatively. That is so truth that you 
can see lightning from one cloud to the other.

If there is a positive cloud as respect to ground and it breaks the air 
(ionizes the air), negative particles will go up to the cloud and positive 
particles will come down to the earth. The net effect is positive charge 
coming down. On the other hand if the cloud is negatively charged, with 
respect to ground, then the net effect is negative charge coming down or 
positive charge going up.

The visual effect of light starting up or down is hard to see. Once it 
starts the stream happens very quickly. It will depend on where the air 
molecules fail first (due to the high voltage present) and it can be at the 
pointed building tower or just by the cloud.

Best Regards,

Rafael
el cayuco chief
Mexico 

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Received on Tue Aug 20 2002 - 15:34:10 PDT

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