Types of lightning: linear, intra-cloud, terrestrial. Lightning discharge. How is the ball lightning formed

Lightning - one of those natural phenomena that have long inspired fear of the human race. To understand its essence sought the greatest minds, such as Aristotle or Lucretius. They believed that this is a ball, consisting of fire and clamped in water vapor clouds, and increasing in size, it breaks through them and a rapid spark falls to the ground.

The concept of lightning and its origin

Most often lightning is formed in thunderclouds, which have a fairly large size. The upper part can be located at an altitude of 7 kilometers, and the lower part is only 500 meters above the ground. Taking into account the atmospheric temperature of the air, one can come to the conclusion that at a level of 3-4 km the water freezes and turns into ice cubes which collide with each other and are electrified. Those that have the largest size, receive a negative charge, and the smallest - a positive one. Based on their weight, they are evenly distributed in the cloud across the layers. Closer to each other, they form a plasma channel, from which an electric spark called lightning is obtained. Its broken form, it got because of the fact that on the way to the earth often there are different air particles that form barriers. And to get around them, you have to change the trajectory.

Physical description of lightning

The discharge of lightning releases from 109 to 1010 joules of energy. Such an enormous amount of electricity is used to a greater extent to create a light flare and a shock wave, otherwise called thunder. But even a small part of the lightning is enough to create unthinkable things, for example, its discharge can kill a person or destroy a building. Another interesting fact is that this natural phenomenon is capable of melting sand, forming hollow cylinders. This effect is achieved due to the high temperature inside the lightning, it can reach 2000 degrees. The time of impact against the ground is also different, it can not be more than a second. As for power, the pulse amplitude can reach hundreds of kilowatts. Combining all these factors, we obtain the most intense natural discharge of current, which brings death to all that it touches. All existing types of lightning are very dangerous, and meeting with them is extremely undesirable for a person.

Thunder formation

All kinds of lightning can not be imagined without a thunder that does not carry the same danger, but in some cases can lead to a malfunction of the network and other technical problems. It arises from the fact that a warm wave of air, heated by lightning to a temperature hotter than the sun, collides with the cold. The sound resulting from this is nothing but a wave caused by air vibrations. In most cases, the volume increases by the end of the rolling. This is due to the reflection of sound from the clouds.

What are lightning?

It turns out that they are all different.

1. Linear lightning - the most common variety. The electric roll looks like upside down, an overgrown tree. A few more thin and short "shoots" leave the main channel. The length of such a discharge can reach 20 kilometers, and the current strength is 20,000 amperes. The speed of movement is 150 kilometers per second. The temperature of the plasma filling the channel of lightning, reaches 10 000 degrees.

2. Intraline lightning - the origin of this species is accompanied by a change in electric and magnetic fields, and radio waves are also emitted. Such a roll is most likely to be found closer to the equator. In temperate latitudes, it appears extremely rare. If there is lightning in the cloud, then an extraneous object that breaks the integrity of the shell, for example an electrified airplane or a metal cable, can induce it to get out. The length can range from 1 to 150 kilometers.

3. Ground lightning - this species passes through several stages. At the first of them shock ionization begins, which is created in the beginning by free electrons, they are always present in the air. Under the influence of an electric field, elementary particles acquire high velocities and are directed to the earth, colliding with molecules that make up the air. Thus, there are electronic avalanches, differently called streamers. They are channels that, merging with each other, serve as the cause of bright, thermally insulated lightning. She reaches the ground in the form of a small ladder, because on her way there are obstacles, and to get around them, she changes direction. The speed of the traffic is about 50,000 kilometers per second.

After the lightning passes its path, it finishes the movement for several tens of microseconds, with the light weakening. After that, the next stage begins: the repetition of the passed path. The most recent discharge is superior in brightness to all the previous ones, the current strength in it can reach hundreds of thousands of amperes. The temperature inside the channel fluctuates around 25 000 degrees. This kind of lightning is the longest, so the consequences can be devastating.

Pearl Zippers

Answering the question about what kind of lightning is, one can not lose sight of such a rare natural phenomenon. Most often the discharge passes after the linear and completely repeats its trajectory. Only here in appearance it is a ball, located at a distance from each other and resemble beads of precious material. This lightning is accompanied by loudest and loudest sounds.

Ball lightning

A natural phenomenon when lightning takes the form of a ball. In this case, the trajectory of its flight becomes unpredictable, which makes it even more dangerous for a person. In most cases, such an electric com occurs together with other species, but the fact of its appearance is recorded even in sunny weather.

How is the ball lightning formed? This is the question most often asked by people who are faced with this phenomenon. As everyone knows, some things are excellent conductors of electricity, and so it is in them, accumulating their charge, and the ball begins to emerge. Also it can appear from the main lightning. Eyewitnesses say that it arises simply from nowhere.

The diameter of the lightning varies from a few centimeters to a meter. As for color, there are several options: from white and yellow to bright green, it is extremely rare to find a black electric ball. After a rapid descent, it moves horizontally, about a meter from the surface of the earth. Such a lightning can suddenly change its trajectory and just as suddenly disappear, releasing huge energy, which causes melting or even the destruction of various objects. She lives from ten seconds to several hours.

Sprite-zipper

Most recently, in 1989, scientists discovered another type of lightning, which was called the sprite . The discovery happened quite by chance, because the phenomenon is extremely rare and lasts only a tenth of a second. From other electric discharges, they are distinguished by the altitude at which they appear - about 50-130 kilometers, while other subspecies do not cross the 15-kilometer boundary. Also the sprite-zipper differs by a huge diameter, which reaches 100 km. They look like vertical columns of light and flare up in groups. Their color differs depending on the composition of the air: closer to the ground, where more oxygen, they are green, yellow or white, but under the influence of nitrogen, at an altitude of more than 70 km, they acquire a bright red shade.

Behavior during a thunderstorm

All kinds of lightning carry an extraordinary danger to health and even human life. To avoid electric shock, in the open area, the following rules should be adhered to:

1. In this situation, the highest objects fall into the risk group, so avoid open areas. To become lower, it's best to sit down and put your head and chest on your knees, in case of defeat this pose will protect all vital organs. In no case can not lie flat, not to increase the area of possible hit.
2. Also, do not hide under tall trees and lampposts. Unprotected structures or metal objects (for example, a picnic canopy) are undesirable hiding places.
3. During a thunderstorm, you must immediately exit the water, because it is a good conductor. Getting into it, a lightning bolt can easily spread to a person.
4. Never use a mobile phone.
5. To provide first aid to the victim, it is best to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation and immediately call the rescue service.

Rules of behavior in the house

Inside the premises, too, there is a risk of injury.

1. If a thunderstorm has started in the street, first of all it is necessary to close all windows and doors.
2. It is necessary to disconnect all electrical devices.
3. Do not approach wired telephones and other cables, they are excellent conductors of electricity. The same effect is possessed by metal pipes, so do not stand next to the plumbing.
4. Knowing how the ball lightning is formed and how unpredictable its trajectory is, if it still enters the room, it is necessary to immediately leave it and close all the windows and doors. If these actions are not possible, it is better to stand motionless.

Nature is still not subject to man and carries many dangers. All kinds of lightning - this, in its essence, the most powerful electrical discharges, which are several times higher than the power of all man-made sources of current.