The secret of lightning flickering has been revealed. Free Technical Library News

NEWS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, NOVELTY IN ELECTRONICS
Free technical library / timeline

Revealed the secret of flickering lightning

01.05.2021

Researchers from the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE), in collaboration with colleagues from the US, UK and South Africa, have for the first time recorded the formation and branching of luminous structures during lightning strikes.

Scientists analyzed images captured by a super slow motion camera to find out why lightning strikes split into two and sometimes form glowing patterns that the human eye interprets as flickering.

Scientists used ultra-high-speed digital video cameras to record more than 200 upbursts during summer thunderstorms in São Paulo (Brazil) and Rapid City (South Dakota, USA) between 2008 and 2019.
The ascending flashes they recorded were caused by positively charged cloud-to-ground lightning discharges, which are much more common, as described by the same INPE research team in a previous study.

Upward lightning occurs at the top of a tower or from a lightning rod on a skyscraper, for example, when a storm's electric field is disturbed by a cloud discharge to the ground up to 60 km away. The advantage of recording images of ascending lightning is that they allow us to see the entire trajectory of these positive discharges from the ground to the cloud base.

At the tip of the positive leader discharge, a low-brightness discharge with a brush-like structure is sometimes formed. This discharge, often referred to as a corona brush, can change direction, splitting into two.

When an upward burst successfully forks, it may change direction to the left or right. When no branching occurs, the crown brush creates very short segments as bright as the leader itself.

<< Back: TRACO TXM compact power supplies for chassis mounting 01.05.2021

>> Forward: World's most powerful tidal turbine launched 30.04.2021

Latest news of science and technology, new electronics:

The existence of an entropy rule for quantum entanglement has been proven 09.05.2024

Quantum mechanics continues to amaze us with its mysterious phenomena and unexpected discoveries. Recently, Bartosz Regula from the RIKEN Center for Quantum Computing and Ludovico Lamy from the University of Amsterdam presented a new discovery that concerns quantum entanglement and its relation to entropy. Quantum entanglement plays an important role in modern quantum information science and technology. However, the complexity of its structure makes understanding and managing it challenging. Regulus and Lamy's discovery shows that quantum entanglement follows an entropy rule similar to that for classical systems. This discovery opens new perspectives in the field of quantum information science and technology, deepening our understanding of quantum entanglement and its connection to thermodynamics. The results of the study indicate the possibility of reversibility of entanglement transformations, which could greatly simplify their use in various quantum technologies. Opening a new rule ... >>

Mini air conditioner Sony Reon Pocket 5 09.05.2024

Summer is a time for relaxation and travel, but often the heat can turn this time into an unbearable torment. Meet a new product from Sony - the Reon Pocket 5 mini-air conditioner, which promises to make summer more comfortable for its users. Sony has introduced a unique device - the Reon Pocket 5 mini-conditioner, which provides body cooling on hot days. With it, users can enjoy coolness anytime, anywhere by simply wearing it around their neck. This mini air conditioner is equipped with automatic adjustment of operating modes, as well as temperature and humidity sensors. Thanks to innovative technologies, Reon Pocket 5 adjusts its operation depending on the user's activity and environmental conditions. Users can easily adjust the temperature using a dedicated mobile app connected via Bluetooth. Additionally, specially designed T-shirts and shorts are available for convenience, to which a mini air conditioner can be attached. The device can oh ... >>

Energy from space for Starship 08.05.2024

Producing solar energy in space is becoming more feasible with the advent of new technologies and the development of space programs. The head of the startup Virtus Solis shared his vision of using SpaceX's Starship to create orbital power plants capable of powering the Earth. Startup Virtus Solis has unveiled an ambitious project to create orbital power plants using SpaceX's Starship. This idea could significantly change the field of solar energy production, making it more accessible and cheaper. The core of the startup's plan is to reduce the cost of launching satellites into space using Starship. This technological breakthrough is expected to make solar energy production in space more competitive with traditional energy sources. Virtual Solis plans to build large photovoltaic panels in orbit, using Starship to deliver the necessary equipment. However, one of the key challenges ... >>

New method for creating powerful batteries 08.05.2024

With the development of technology and the expanding use of electronics, the issue of creating efficient and safe energy sources is becoming increasingly urgent. Researchers at the University of Queensland have unveiled a new approach to creating high-power zinc-based batteries that could change the landscape of the energy industry. One of the main problems with traditional water-based rechargeable batteries was their low voltage, which limited their use in modern devices. But thanks to a new method developed by scientists, this drawback has been successfully overcome. As part of their research, scientists turned to a special organic compound - catechol. It turned out to be an important component that can improve battery stability and increase its efficiency. This approach has led to a significant increase in the voltage of zinc-ion batteries, making them more competitive. According to scientists, such batteries have several advantages. They have b ... >>

Alcohol content of warm beer 07.05.2024

Beer, as one of the most common alcoholic drinks, has its own unique taste, which can change depending on the temperature of consumption. A new study by an international team of scientists has found that beer temperature has a significant impact on the perception of alcoholic taste. The study, led by materials scientist Lei Jiang, found that at different temperatures, ethanol and water molecules form different types of clusters, which affects the perception of alcoholic taste. At low temperatures, more pyramid-like clusters form, which reduces the pungency of the "ethanol" taste and makes the drink taste less alcoholic. On the contrary, as the temperature increases, the clusters become more chain-like, resulting in a more pronounced alcoholic taste. This explains why the taste of some alcoholic drinks, such as baijiu, can change depending on temperature. The data obtained opens up new prospects for beverage manufacturers, ... >>

Random news from the Archive

Car in ceramic armor 01.01.2003

Researchers at the Institute for New Materials in Saarbrücken (Germany) have developed the first scratch-resistant varnish for cars. For this, nanotechnology methods were used.

A layer of ceramic particles is applied to a metal sheet, each of which is 4000 times thinner than a human hair. The thickness of the layer is only one hundredth of a millimeter, but under its protection, the lacquer coating of the car becomes almost as hard as the mineral glass used in modern wristwatches. In any case, a steel wire washcloth does not take it.

See full Archive of science and technology news, new electronics

All languages of this page

Home page | Library | Articles | Website map | Site Reviews