Page 323 - (DK) I Can’t Believe It! 2
P. 323
TRUE OR FALSE? 321
Lightning can’t strike FAST FACTS
the same place twice YOU CAN TELL HOW FAR
AWAY LIGHTNING
Intense heat from IS BY COUNTING
the electric spark
causes the air to
expand and vibrate. 1, 2, 3... RUMBLE
This is heard as a
thunderclap after
the lightning flash.
After a lightning bolt, you can count the
seconds to find out approximately how far
away the lightning struck. Count the seconds
between the strike and the thunder, and divide
In a split second, the number of seconds by 5 for the distance in
a bolt of lightning miles, or by 3 for the distance in kilometers.
Lightning flashes are immense can heat the
electric sparks that streak surrounding air to
from the bottom to the top of temperatures five
a thundercloud, or from cloud- times hotter than APOLLO 12 WAS
to-cloud or cloud-to-ground. the sun’s surface.
The electric charges that make STRUCK
the sparks are created by ice BY LIGHTNING
crystals and water droplets DURING ITS
crashing together in the LAUNCH
chaotic up- and downdrafts Lightning is
inside the cloud. visible striking Apollo 12 launched in 1969
the same building into a rainy sky. The Saturn V
in Hong Kong’s rocket was struck twice by
central business lightning 30 seconds and 50
district twice. seconds after liftoff. But
because the rocket was in
the air (not grounded), no
damage was caused.
How can you LIGHTNING
tell if lightning STRIKES
is about to ABOUT
strike you?
8.6
MILLION
TIMES A DAY
Each strike carries enough energy to power a
city with 200,000 inhabitants for one minute.
The average lightning flash would also power
a 100-watt light bulb for three months.
US_320-321_309600_Thunderstorms.indd 321 19/12/17 3:50 pm
