This Incredible Video Shows Lightning Strikes At 7000 Frames Per Second

They say you shouldn’t be outside in a lightning storm. There’s that whole static electricity and water and rubber insulation thing, we can’t really remember because we weren’t paying enough attention in science class. But it is still a sight to behold, watching nature unload all her anger on us, mere mortals, making us think how tiny we are against her might.

In this astonishing clip, each of the jagged bolts looks like they might just be the product of an evolved special effects program, but we assure you - they are all 100% natural. Scientists were able to capture the stunning lightning using a new high-speed camera; the details of nature’s might that they capture is simply breathtaking.

The amazing sight was capture by professor Ningyu Liu at the Geospace Physics Laboratory in Florida Tech’s Department of Physics and Space Sciences during a recent lightning storm in Florida. The camera shoots at a staggering 7000 frames per second. To give you an idea at just how fast the camera shoots, modern standard demand between 24 and 48 frames per second, with the absolute maximum being 60 frames per second. The playback speed is the equivalent of 700 frames per second, so every 10 seconds in the video shows about 1 second in real time.

The team of scientists hope the camera will help with the research into jets, gigantic jets and starters, which are all types of atmospheric lightning.

Credit: Florida Institute of Technology