National Geographic News, Reporting Your World Daily

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Photo: "Upside Down" Lightning as Strong as Earth-bound Bolts


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Frames from a video show the bright white flare of a gigantic jet, a type of lightning that sparks upward from the clouds rather than toward the ground.

This "upside down" lightning can be as powerful as the strongest traditional bolts, sending huge amounts of electrical charge into Earth's upper atmosphere, scientists said in August 2009.

Video stills courtesy Steven Cummer