The Speed of Lightning In Slow Motion
08/11/2008
Nope. Lightning itself doesn't travel at the speed of light. Rather, "the speed is normally no more than half the speed of light, usually substantially less. The process that creates a lightning stroke is not light transfer, but is the transfer of electrical energy (charge) through the air. Much like an electrical cable, the air, even though it is ionized, has some resistance to charge transfer. The speed of the stroke is impeded by having to transfer the energy from molecule to molecule along the way, in the process literally exploding the molecules into atoms." Thanks Dr. Dave from the Argonne National Laboratory.
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