BETA
Chapter 1
The battle for the crown
Chapter 2
The physics of a flash
Chapter 3
Tracking the flash
Chapter 4
Thunder, heat, and safety
YOUR GOAL
Master of The lightning capital of the United States
Ch 3 · Tracking the flash
futura Modern weather satellites carry specialized cameras that map lightning across entire hemispheres.
futura Scientists use the speed of light and radio waves to calculate exactly where lightning hits.
Fun Fact
Lightning speed: Ground-based sensors can detect a lightning strike, calculate its exact latitude and longitude, and display it on a map in under 15 seconds.
Gossip
Would you rather work as a satellite designer or a ground-sensor maintenance technician?
Quiz
What mathematical method do computers use to find a strike's location by comparing arrival times at different sensors?
Quiz
What instrument on modern GOES weather satellites maps lightning from space 500 times per second?
Quiz
Which metric do meteorologists use to compare lightning activity fairly between states of completely different sizes?
Quiz
Why does Texas always win the highest total lightning 'count' while losing the 'density' title?
Quiz
How does tracking in-cloud lightning from space help meteorologists predict severe weather on the ground?
Quiz
Within what average distance can the modern National Lightning Detection Network pinpoint a ground strike?
Quiz
What type of signal emitted by lightning do ground-based sensors detect to locate a strike?