Thunderbolts

[Lardybloke]

What is a thunderbolt and can they actually 'bounce' or is this just another urban myth?

[Moog]

Lightning is always accompanied by thunder as a thunderclap is the noise lightning makes. Depending on your proximity to the strike however the distance between the observer and the original strike can cause a delay between the two, caused by the difference in speed between light and sound. If you are in or very close to a lightning strike which either strikes an object (e.g. ground or tree) or occurs close to the ground then you will experience a thunderbolt which as Einstein says is a simultaneous occurance. I believe that lightning and therefore thunderbolts do not bounce, however the sound of a thunderbolt (i.e. the thunder) can easily echo around if there are tall solid objects such as buildings or cliffs around. Incidently to accertain your proximity to a lightning strike (and more often then not the eye of a storm) count in seconds (1 elephant, 2 elephant, 3 elephant...) from the point you see the lightning to the point you hear the thunder. Divide this number by 4 and this gives you an approximation of how many miles you are from the strike point. So at a guess providing you are within 200metres or so you should experience a thunderbolt as it will be difficult to distinguish the time difference between the light and sound of the strike.

[Moog]

Going for the pedant award Einstein? Yes you are correct the rapid expansion of heated air causes the thunder sound but this noise is made by the lightning as my original answer states. I think your response to my answer perhaps goes a little too deep into the nature of sound if you think about the origin on many sounds infact it is an object's interaction with the air which causes the noise rather than the object itself... what noise does a whistle make?

[Moog]

Well disagree with your analogy Einstein but not looking for an argument I think we both agree as to the cause of the noise and that lightning makes a thunderclap as per my original answer. Tartan you're also right balls of lightning can occur I've even been so lucky to see one, they've been known to travel down chimneys I believe though my only proof of this is in fact Herge!

[Moog]

Sorry Einstein forgot about this question, I saw it while camping during an electical storm in Kakadu National park in the Northern Terretories of Australia. Just about the scariest evening of my life, a ball of lightning about a metre across hit a tree about 20 metres from us, it stayed in the tree for about 10 - 15 seconds (it was probably less than that but felt like more!) then moved down the tree and appeared to dissipate into the ground, almost like it just fell out of the tree. When we checked the tree in the morning one branch had been snapped right off, probably by the blast while two other appeared to have almost burnt right through... well one of them came off in my hands!