December 27, 2010

Lightening X-Rayed

Scientists recently built a way to take photos fast enough to shoot lightening reliably, enabling them to capture it with x-ray photography for the first time.

"The pictures suggest a lightning bolt carries all its x-ray radiation in its tip." Re- the cool-looking, straight green flame: "[t]he lightning bolts were triggered by launching small rockets into the thunderstorms. . . . The rockets trailed wires behind them to direct the lightning through the camera's field of view."

More at National Geographic.


No comments:

Post a Comment