Access

News Feature

Nature 431, 120-121 (9 September 2004) | doi:10.1038/431120a; Published online 8 September 2004

Lightning research: The bolt catchers

Mark Schrope1

  1. Mark Schrope is a science writer based in Florida.
Top

Every summer, Florida plays host to researchers who fire rockets at the sky to create lightning. And having captured the bolts, the group has found something shocking, as Mark Schrope finds out.

The early Greeks saw it as a weapon of the gods, and throughout history lightning has been viewed almost universally as something best avoided. But at a desolate patch of sand and grass in northern Florida, a handful of researchers gather each summer to call down lightning from the sky in the name of science.

MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS

These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated.

NEWS AND VIEWS

Atmospheric science Predictable lightning paths?

Nature Geoscience News and Views (01 Apr 2008)

Fire from heaven

Nature News and Views (13 Jun 1996)