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Photolab

From the ground up

Lightning can also begin from the ground and move upward towards a storm cloud.  The rare photo below taken on November 8, 2014 shows upward lightning that begins in one of the towers on São Paulo’s Jaraguá Peak.  Jaraguá Peak and Avenida Paulista are constantly monitored by National Institute for Space Research (INPE) cameras.  The images are then analyzed by researchers who study the possible consequences of the phenomenon.  “Since the current standard for lightning protection is based on downward lightning, the study could identify risks associated with the upward lightning that starts from high towers and wind generators,” says Marcelo Saba, INPE researcher.

Image submitted by Marcelo Saba of the INPE

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