Encore - Lightning Storm over Lisbon
January 07, 2017
Today and every Saturday Earth Science Picture of the Day invites you to rediscover favorites from the past. Saturday posts feature an EPOD that was chosen by viewers like you in our monthly Viewers' Choice polls. Join us as we look back at these intriguing and captivating images.
Photographer: Miguel Claro
Summary Authors: Miguel Claro; Jim Foster
This photo composite featuring both cloud-to-ground and cloud-to-cloud lightning was captured during an intense thunderstorm over Lisbon, Portugal on May 15, 2011. The image shows 21 unique lightning discharges (22 separate photos were used) taken between 9:18 and 9:40 p.m. from my home in Feijo, Portugal. Temperatures of very powerful bolts, such as the lightning strike at center, may approach 50,000 degrees F (27,760 C). The illuminated monument, Christ the King, is at right center and at center, behind the tree, is the 25 April Bridge, which connects Almada to Lisbon.
Photo Details: Canon 50D camera and 20mm lens; each photo is a 15-second exposure; at F/10; ISO of 125.
