Scientists have recently captured, for the first time ever, visual images of the sound waves created by lightning. The lightning was artificially triggered, but the images are authentic. Dr. Maher A. Dayeh, a research scientist from Southwest Institute Space Science and Engineering Division said, “Lightning strikes the earth more than 4 million times a day, yet the physics behind this violent process remain poorly understood… While we understand the general mechanics of thunder generation, it’s not particularly clear which physical processes of the lightning discharge contribute to the thunder we hear. A listener perceives thunder largely based upon the distance from lightning. From nearby, thunder has a sharp, cracking sound. From farther away, it has a longer-lasting, rumbling nature.”

KSAT 12, an ABC company, describes lightning as “a complex process of electrostatic charges…which subsequently lead to a main discharge channel…[which] opens a path to nearly instantaneous return strokes, which form the lightning flash as we see it.” The researchers plan to study the acoustic power radiated from differing parts of the lightning channel which will help them learn more about the origins of thunder and the energetic processes associated with lightning.

Because of the unpredictability of thunder and lightning, it is best studied within triggered events. They way scientists create this controlled environment is by launching a small rocket with a grounded copper wire trailing behind it into some thunder clouds. The copper wire becomes a designated discharge channel from the cloud and this way scientists know exactly where lightning is going to strike. When the images were first produced, they didn’t look to show much of anything, but once Dayeh raised the frequency, the images cleared right up and he could see a distinct signature of thunder generated by the lighting strike.