Definition | Heatbolt – Fulguration
Definition | Heatbolt - Fulguration
Have you ever seen lightning without having heard the thunder that accompanies it? This kind of silent flash is often referred to as a “flash of heat Improperly. What is it really ? This is a flash completely identical to the others, no more and no less.
Lightning seen from a great distance
“Heat flashes” are actually produced by thunderstorms distant … so far away that you can see the flash of lightning which is signaled by brief illuminations streaking the sky but thunder cannot be heard from where you are because of the distance.
Here’s why: the speed of light (about 300,000 km / s) is extremely fast compared to that of sound (300 m / s). In addition, the blow of thunder and its wave dissipate more easily by propagating itself and, when we are too far away, the thunder is no longer heard and becomes inaudible.
If, during a hike, you are surprised by a thunderstorm, remember that the longer the time between lightning thunder is short, the closer you are to the impact of the lightning and the more you are in danger. To calculate the distance between you and the lightning, you have to count the number of seconds between the sight of the lightning and the sound of thunder. The shorter this time, the longer it takes to shelter quickly !
Kézako: where do lightning come from, from the ground or from the sky? Thunderstorms are usually accompanied by rain, lightning and thunder, but do you know where exactly lightning strikes? Unisciel and the University of Lille 1 explain to us, with the Kézako program, the mysteries of this phenomenon.
