Team of Southwest Research Institute scientists manage to visually capture the sound waves birthed by lightning events

May 6, 2015 08:38 GMT  ·  By

In a series of experiments that involved firing rockets into the sky and having them trigger lighting strikes, a team of scientists working with the Southwest Research Institute in the US revealed what thunders look like. 

Specifically, the researchers imaged the sound waves resulting from lightning strikes. As was to be expected, they found that each of the thunders accompanying lightning events has a unique signature.

How the experiments played out

Speaking at a conference held in Montreal, Canada, this past May 5, researcher Maher Dayeh explained that, as part of their work, he and his colleagues visited a US military base outside the city of Gainesville in Florida and shot rockets into thunderstorms.

These rockets carried copper wires into thunderclouds. Having reached their destination, the copper wires served as a conductive channel in that they created a very specific path for lightning events. Essentially, they guided the lightning strikes to where the scientists wanted them to hit.

On the ground, a total of 15 microphones and other instruments recorded the lightning events and the accompanying thunders. The focus was on collecting data concerning the acoustic signature of the thunders generated by the guided lighting strikes.

Each thunder looks differently

The series of images below shows several of the lightning strikes produced as part of this research project and the acoustical signatures of the thunders accompanying them.

Thus, the photo on the left shows the initial copper wire burn (green) and a total of nine return lighting strikes (purple). The images on the right illustrate the sound waves resulting from the lightning events.

The Southwest Research Institute scientists say that such studies are needed to better understand the energetic processes associated with lighting and how storms work, and improve forecasting.

“Thunder and lightning are fascinating, wild, and unpredictable,” Maher Dayeh. “Lightning strikes the Earth more than 4 million times a day, yet the physics behind this violent process remain poorly understood,” he added.

Images reveal the acoustical signature of thunders
Images reveal the acoustical signature of thunders

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Study reveals what thunder events look like
Images reveal the acoustical signature of thunders
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