Fast Facts: Dec. 8
December 8, 2010
- A flash of lightning appears to flicker because there are usually several bolts of lightning striking at almost the same time.
- The diameter of a lightning bolt is about a half-inch to an inch wide, but can be up to five inches wide.
- The average length of a lightning bolt from a cloud to the ground is three to four miles long.
- Thursday is named after the old Nordic god, Thor. He made thunder when traveling across the skies in his chariot pulled by male goats. They would run so fast that their hooves created sparks of lightning.
- Lightning typically has a temperature of about 30,000 degrees centigrade (five times hotter than the surface of the sun.)
- On average, the earth is struck by lightning 100 times per second.
