Lightning Stike on Aircraft C018 / 3800
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Lightning Stike on Aircraft C018 / 3800
Illustration of a lightning strike on a passenger aircraft based on actual video footage. Such strikes are not uncommon and it has been estimated every passenger aircraft is struck at least once during its service life. An aircraft acts like a lightning rod and often triggers lightning when flying through a heavily charged region of cloud. Its metal structure provides the lowest resistance for the electrical discharge on its way between the clouds and the ground. The high voltage current will travel through the conductive exterior skin and structures of the aircraft and exit off some other extremity. The airframe acts as a so called Faraday cage", as with an automobile body, the aluminium structure, when struck by lightning, passes the electrical energy around the exterior and keeps the passengers safe."
Science Photo Library features Science and Medical images including photos and illustrations
Media ID 9231463
© DAVID PARKER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Aeroplane Aircraft Airplane Aluminium Cloud Current Electric Electrical Storm Electricity Energy Faraday Flight Flying High Voltage Lightning Lightning Rod Lightning Strike Night Storm Thunder Weather
EDITORS COMMENTS
This print captures the intense power of a lightning strike on an aircraft, based on actual video footage. In this illustration, we witness the awe-inspiring moment when a passenger plane becomes a temporary lightning rod in the sky. It is not uncommon for every aircraft to experience at least one lightning strike during its service life. As the aircraft navigates through heavily charged regions of clouds, its metal structure acts as the path of least resistance for electrical discharge between the clouds and ground. The high voltage current surges through the conductive exterior skin and structures of the airplane before exiting from another extremity. This phenomenon is known as a Faraday cage, where like an automobile body, aluminum structures redirect electrical energy around their exteriors to ensure passengers' safety. The image showcases nature's raw power colliding with human engineering marvels. Against a backdrop of dark stormy skies, bolts of lightning illuminate both cloud and aircraft alike. The electrifying display serves as a reminder that even amidst turbulent weather conditions, modern aviation technology remains resilient. This photograph provides us with a glimpse into the incredible forces at play during an electrical storm while highlighting how airplanes are designed to withstand such encounters safely. It reminds us that even in our most advanced creations, we are still subject to nature's mightiest spectacles – thunderous storms capable of producing breathtaking displays like this one captured by David Parker from Science Photo Library.
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