The Mystery of Superbolt Lightning

(Inside Science) -- While studying space plasma physics, Robert Holzworth, from the University of Washington, and his team needed to keep track of lightning strikes around the world and built the World Wide Lightning Location Network. This network has about 100 lightning detection stations located around the world from Antarctica to Finland. While the researchers were looking at lightning data, they discovered some intense lightning strikes -- called superbolts -- which are not your ordinary lightning flashes. Holzworth explains what a superbolt is and when they happen.

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[LA]

Sure, I know what a superbolt is. It's what shoots from my wife's eyes whenever I use the words "geez, calm down."

[G_Silent]

Maybe it’s because static in the air has more time to build up during colder periods, so the energy gets released all at once rather than many smaller discharges?

[gwthrpain]

I heard one from over 10kms away, the thunder was super low pitched and lingering. this shit shook the windows of my house and made the lights blink

[lucasclark]

Over water… the air has a higher humidity therefore making it more conductive.

Primarily in the winter months… electricity, in a wire or in air, likes to move more with less resistance… heat cause resistance. Compare this with the CERN supercollider. They have to keep electrical and magnetic components near absolute zero in order to put theory into the real world application.

[mactheaxe]

I just had a realization. This explains the randomness of the bolt patterns. There are enough charged ions, that when they connect in a line close enough, the energy closes the circuit so to speak. Like plugging in an already on appliance. The energy has found a pathway to travel.

[iamjimgroth]

I might have experienced this today. Lightning was registered a couple of km away from me. People as far away as 45km heard it .

I thought war had broken out.

[MariahWong]

I thought a postive CG was the most powerful form of lightning.

[theplatformation]

I've always wondered about sheet lightning, if lightning goes from the ground up, how does sheet lightning work?.

[timothymcintosh]

That would be more cool to see than a metor show

[ninjaswordtothehead]

I don't know for sure but it would explain why, every so often, you find a tree just obliterated instead of just split like from a normal strike.

[YoungBuck]

You keep saying super bolt and show pictures of regular lightning. That doesn’t explain what it is… you could be talking about + lighting, you could be talking about extremely long bolts.

[.]

100 gigawatts can power a lot of deloreans.

[Anthuuuniii]

How can you guys not tell Enel Is sending messages from the moon