Monday, October 05, 2009

Lightning never striking the same place twice is a falsehood.



A west coast report states:

[Seattle's] Space Needle has 24 lightning rods on the top of the Needle (well, 25 including the tower itself) to channel lightning's energy into the ground and away from anything important. As one of the tallest spots in Seattle, it certainly attracts its share of lightning.

The Empire State Building in New York City is struck around 100 times a year, on average. The building is even designed as a lightning rod to keep lightning away from other buildings.


That's TV, and TV tends to exaggeration, with this link indicating the Empire State Building is struck frequently but less often than a hundred times yearly. I would believe that item, which says more about lightning.

The opening image of a lightning strike on the famous Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, harbor-hilltop Christ statue is explained, here, the harbor being something special to see with the surrounding hills; the statue overlooking the city and harbor mouth. (See images, here and here.)

Given where is stands, this lighting strike cannot be unique; although capturing it as an image remains impressive. The photo's been posted multiple places around the web.