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Old 10-01-2008, 12:51 PM   #11
Habu
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 3052
Join Date: Nov 2000
Chapter/Region: SCIC
Location: Southern Arizona
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.Sparkle View Post
Lightning is basically a connection between earth and sky. Ground objects send up positive feelers and lightning chooses the most convenient one. Once the positive and negative charges meet a bolt is created that goes down to the ground.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chkltcow View Post
A stepped leader of negative ions comes down from the cloud, forming the forks that you see with clouds. It can branch and take the different paths to the ground.

Meanwhile, a positive streamer comes up off any and everything it can from the ground up. This is why they say your hair stands on end before you get struck by lightning. In some photos of lightning, you can see visible positive streamers coming off of trees, houses, poles etc without actually being involved in the strike itself.

When the two meet, the actual flash is the charge moving from the ground to the cloud... the return stroke.
That's the most accurate explanations I've read. I'd have said about the same thing. But yes, the actual, visible bolt you see is the positive charge going UP to the clouds, not down.
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