23 June 2009
iPod headphones save girl from lightning strike
A teenage girl has survived a direct hit by a lightning bolt thanks to wearing her iPod. The girl and her boyfriend were under a tree sheltering from the thunderstorm when the lightning struck.
The lightning passed through her headphones (not in her ears at the time!) and down into her mp3 player.
Experts think that lightning takes the easiest route to the ground and the metal contained in her mp3 player was the best conductor of electricity.
What is lightning?
Lightning is thought to form from ice and water droplets colliding in a thundercloud. A large electrical spark forms from electrons moving from between the ice and water droplets. Electrons cannot be seen but when lightning flashes they are moving so fast that the air around them glows. The actual streak of lightning is the path the electrons follow when they move.
Thunder is formed by the heat from lightning compressing the air around in and forming a supersonic wave that decays into a sound wave that you hear as thunder. You always see the lightning first as light travels faster than sound does.
How to stay safe in a thunderstorm
If there's a thunderstorm, make sure you stay indoors and don't use any electrical equipment like the television, computer or telephone. If the lightning strikes the house, it will take the easiest route to earth, e.g. electrical cables or water pipes.
If you can't get indoors, avoid any high places, or tall isolated structures (towers, trees, etc.).