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What are some interesting lightning facts? (sciencecards.org)

submitted 1 day ago by stuartml@piefed.social to c/ScienceOnlyFacts@lemmy.world

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Lightning can heat the air it passes through to temperatures of about 30,000 °C (54,000 °F). That is regarded as 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun. The discharge process, or return stroke, of the lightning is the most luminous part where the electric current moves through the channel. One observation found that the rate at which the return stroke current traveled was around 100,000 km/s (or one-third the speed of light). Global monitoring indicates that lightning on Earth occurs at an average frequency of approximately 44 (± 5) times per second.

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[–] bitteroldcoot@piefed.social 5 points 1 day ago

Roy Sullivan the human lightning rod struck seven time. His wife also got hit once. Talk about a relationship where you need separate bedrooms.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Sullivan

Walter Summerford (sometimes referred to as Major Summerford) was an Alabama sportsman who was struck by lightning three times during his lifetime. According to various accounts, four years after his death, lightning struck and destroyed his gravestone in a cemetery in Columbia, Alabama.

https://funfactz.com/places/walter-summerford-lightning