Naked Science Forum
Non Life Sciences => Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology => Topic started by: goosepoint on 07/10/2007 04:10:57
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I googled and have been trying to find something that explains lighting without thunder. I know it has been mentioned here before as I was linked here but lost it upon subscribing to this forum..... A brief discription, I live in Northern Manitoba, Canada. About 5 yrs ago (2002), mid summer, I was home alone, wife and kids off to town. Nothing to do but stay inside because of it being around evening and too many mosguitoes and threating showers. I settled down to watch sports but after some thunder and light showers the satellite when down because of too much cloud cover. OK, so I decided to watch the light show and wait it out. It wasn't too dark and I did see some lighting far off to the South when I came upstairs but decided to microwave a cup of tea first. When that was done I opened the shear curtians to get a good view. Just as I sat down ... from out of the West and no more then 400 - 500 yds away and maybe only 300 feet above the trees a huge lighting bolt just sort of formed, like it came from really no where (ie it didn't come from a particular cloud as it was just heavey overcast with no individual clouds for example). It streaked horizonally a very short distance, made a complete downward loop (like the # 9 )and finished off pointing upward Easterly at a 45 degree angle. I looked like somebody had painted it with a brush and I could just about feel the termendous power because the bolt was so thick or heavey looking. OH OH, it's going to be a heck of a blast .... NO THUNDER, NON ... OK, I though thats odd but there's a scientific explaination ... no big deal. I though, well if I just seen this then it's going to be a really good show. Nothing, that was the end of it, no lighting, no thunder from anywhere after that, just light showers and that cleared up enough to regain satillite reception. I didn't bother to find out more about this until this past year, but so far no information. How could such a heavey piece (best way I can discribe it)of lighting, that looked like it grew rather (ie, in comparision to regular lighting bolt which appear to flash, this one, you could almost see forming, though it was still very fast) then flashed and be so close not have thunder. So far anybody I've asked can not answer this question, they just shruggle their shoulders. .. Just last month a lighting bolt almost in the same place in the sky struck the ground, a very cracking thunder clap almost immediatly and in the basement I felt something hit my leg and something also hit the wife who was upstairs and the next morning I found that it took out part of out satillite, phone etc..
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I googled and have been trying to find something that explains lighting without thunder. I know it has been mentioned here before as I was linked here but lost it upon subscribing to this forum..... A brief discription, I live in Northern Manitoba, Canada. About 5 yrs ago (2002), mid summer, I was home alone, wife and kids off to town. Nothing to do but stay inside because of it being around evening and too many mosguitoes and threating showers. I settled down to watch sports but after some thunder and light showers the satellite when down because of too much cloud cover. OK, so I decided to watch the light show and wait it out. It wasn't too dark and I did see some lighting far off to the South when I came upstairs but decided to microwave a cup of tea first. When that was done I opened the shear curtians to get a good view. Just as I sat down ... from out of the West and no more then 400 - 500 yds away and maybe only 300 feet above the trees a huge lighting bolt just sort of formed, like it came from really no where (ie it didn't come from a particular cloud as it was just heavey overcast with no individual clouds for example). It streaked horizonally a very short distance, made a complete downward loop (like the # 9 )and finished off pointing upward Easterly at a 45 degree angle. I looked like somebody had painted it with a brush and I could just about feel the termendous power because the bolt was so thick or heavey looking. OH OH, it's going to be a heck of a blast .... NO THUNDER, NON ... OK, I though thats odd but there's a scientific explaination ... no big deal. I though, well if I just seen this then it's going to be a really good show. Nothing, that was the end of it, no lighting, no thunder from anywhere after that, just light showers and that cleared up enough to regain satillite reception. I didn't bother to find out more about this until this past year, but so far no information. How could such a heavey piece (best way I can discribe it)of lighting, that looked like it grew rather (ie, in comparision to regular lighting bolt which appear to flash, this one, you could almost see forming, though it was still very fast) then flashed and be so close not have thunder. So far anybody I've asked can not answer this question, they just shruggle their shoulders. .. Just last month a lighting bolt almost in the same place in the sky struck the ground, a very cracking thunder clap almost immediatly and in the basement I felt something hit my leg and something also hit the wife who was upstairs and the next morning I found that it took out part of out satillite, phone etc..
If I guessed, you should have assisted to a sort of the very rare phenomenon called "ball lightning". Every scientist would like to see such a phenomenon, and it's believed to explain a lot of U.F.O. sightings. It would also be extremely interesting for scientis studying nuclear fusion confinement (because it could give informations about how to stabilize a hot plasma).
If you know a scientist living not too far from you, tell him about it, it would be Very important for science to study this object. If you can, buy a video-camera and take it ready near your windowsw, in case you could assist to such an event a next time.
Maybe here you can find something interesting for you:
http://www.eskimo.com/~billb/tesla/ballgtn.html
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Are there any mountains where you live? Not just in the imediate local, but say within a few miles?