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October 27, 2008

The power of nature

I could not resist posting these spectacular photos, sadly not my own, but from a friend in South Africa. I will happily post the credits for them when I find out which of the people who sent them to me actually took them. They were taken a few days ago during a violent storm over the City of Durban. The photographer captured some spectacular shots as storm moved in on his position and the clouds tower upwards in super cells that reach the stratosphere. We now know thatsuch lightning bolts are two way, the upper end striking into the Ionosphere creating spectacular displays visible from space.

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A super bolt strikes the sea, lighting up the adjacent super cell - which I have to say looks for all the world like a serious fire plume.

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Lightning lights up the cell from within.

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A change of underwear for the photographer may be required as the lightning finds a target bare yards from the picture taker!

Spectacular? Yes, and a reminder of the power of forces we can still barely explain or understand.

Posted by The Gray Monk at October 27, 2008 11:21 AM

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Comments

The first and second image was taken not in Durban, South Africa and not in October, 2008. It happened in South Chile, May, 2008. The volcano Chaitén erupted again after 9000 years of calmness. Just take a Google picture search for volcano ligtning and these photos and alike will come up. There is also a youtube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqdKZuTKZMo

Posted by: scarabaeus at December 24, 2008 04:11 PM

Thanks for the correction. All I can say is that I got them from someone in Durban. I did wonder about the 'clouds' in those two pictures as they look to me like a fire plume - which they are.

Posted by: The Gray Monk at December 25, 2008 08:04 PM

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