Thunderstorm: The Power of Lightning

The Power and Beauty of Lightning

I woke up to a burnished brisk breeze lavishing upon my face during the hot humid summer, where the sky was a deep blue with vibrant white clouds. I went through my day with great joy, doing the normal thrilling activities during summer! My routine is very crucial in my everyday life, one of my favorite parts is my daily runs! I went for a run on June 22 during the evening, I left my house looking at the cotton candy color skies and continued to run on the trail. As I kept running I could notice the change within the weather along with the colors of the sky. I continued on my run and noticed how a thunderstorm was going to occur. I decided to take out my phone and start to record a video. I’ve always liked watching thunderstorms. The air grows heavy and the humidity presses down, stillness and silence one moment then comes the low crackle of thunder and the noise of pattering tiny raindrops. For a slight moment, everything stops, it is peaceful. A streak of bright silver splits across the grand sky, and the downpour begins. Luckily I arrived home before the downpour. It wasn't till I got home and looked back at my footage I realized I got the perfect shot of lightning!

I could hear the deep crackling as the thunder rolled across the malevolent sky. The untamed power of the earth reverberated and echoed across the city. Without waiting, I then decided to run home; not even thinking about the natural phenomenon in front of my eyes. Lightning came, a brilliant shock of white in the scarlet sky. I knew from this second that this was going to be a good storm. The lighting was spreading across the sky in every direction, giving me a powerful impulse to record. I then take out my electronic device and start to video the sky, dangerous huh? Standing there, like a perfect pawn, I become more and more fascinated. As much as I would’ve liked to stay outside the whole time it was starting to get dark.

Thunderstorm in Mythology and Religion

Lighting is talked about in several different categories in Greek Mythology lightning is talked about in the context of Zeus. Zeus is the Greek god of the sky, thunder, and lighting. He was the Son of Cronus, in which he defeated, which led Zeus to become king. Zeus had a number of powers such as the ability to throw lightning bolts and then trained an eagle to retrieve them (Source 1). He controlled the weather. He used lightning as a tool to control the people. Lightning is mentioned in a biblical way too. Such as in the book of Romans, Exodus, Revelations, and 2 Samuel. The meteorological light shows we enjoy God’s light and creations. The Bible mentions the phenomenon quite often, along with descriptive comparisons. The Bible views lightning as many things such as a voice or Satan or even a roar of God’s power. But both the Bible and Greek Mythology have two different views what does science say about lightning? How is lightning symbolic? Or meaningful? What does lightning do to the atmosphere around us? What is the science behind the great strikes of lightning?

Understanding the Science of Lightning

The theory of electrostatic discharge which is the momentary flow of electrical energy between electrically charged bodies when in contact with each other is the foundation for the understanding of lightning (Source 3). Benjamin Franklin studied and tracked lightning. In the experiment where he is standing on an electrical stand, holding an iron rod to gain an electrical discharge between the other hand and a ground, concluded that if the clouds were electrically charged, then sparks would jump between the iron rod and a grounded wire. This then was continued by Thomas Francois Dalibard in which he proved that thunderclouds of lightning have an electrical charge. So how is a thundercloud formed? What makes electricity? How is this a natural phenomenon? How does lightning affect the environment?

Thunderclouds are like huge heat engines with input energy from the sun and with water vapor as the primary heat-transfer agent. The positive charges in the cloud are at the top negative, charges are at the bottom. When the charge at the bottom gets strong enough, the cloud lets out energy. This then enables the rest of the storm to break through, such as lightning, rain, sparks, and winds. A thunderstorm starts with the Sun and its rays. The sunlight helps warm the ground which in turn allows the ground to reflect that to the atmosphere. The air loses the ability to keep in moisture which then turns to what we know as rain. A thunderstorm can be very dangerous and harmful to the environment but lightning also helps shield Earth from rays that are harmful ultraviolet sunlight. Another significant fact about lightning is that it has many different types which are developed through the difference in place, time, temperatures, winds, etc. An average bolt of lightning, striking from cloud to ground, contains roughly one billion (1,000,000,000) joules of energy(Source 5). This clearly shows how significant a simple thunderstorm is, even if we are hiding away in our houses.

Lightning may seem scary to some, it might seem brutal due to its effects, it might make you feel unsafe… But it is the spontaneous simultaneously simple actions and deeds that make the “illusion of two separate worlds” because you can view a negative outcome as a positive one. When I took this photo about 6 months ago I never would’ve had fully comprehended the richness lightning provides. Now, looking back I see that lightning affects the environment in many different ways and how when we can view it, it can be perceived in several different ways.  

Works Cited

1. Greek Mythology - Zeus: The Greek God of the Sky, Thunder, and Lightning. (n.d.). Greek Mythology: The Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes Handbook. 
2. The Bible: Relevant verses from the books of Romans, Exodus, Revelations, and 2 Samuel. (n.d.). Holy Bible. 
3. Electrostatic Discharge. (n.d.). Cambridge Dictionary. 
4. Benjamin Franklin and Lightning. (n.d.). U.S. Department of the Interior. 
5. Types of Lightning. (n.d.). National Severe Storms Laboratory.