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If lightning is hotter than the surface of the sun why don't people and animals vaporize when struck by it?
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
An average lightning bolt can approach 30,000 degrees C (54,000 degrees F) which s 5x hotter than the sun!
Lightening also contains about one gigabolt (a billion volts) but can vary based on the length of the bolt and the distance from the ground, usually losing some voltage as it nears the surface of the Earth. Still, if the average contact voltage of a typical electrical shock is 20 to 63 kilovolts and a human can get struck by a lightening bolt that delivers about 300 kilovolts (by the time it reaches the person on ground level)
Why doesn't the human body turn into a cloud of vaporized matter?
The answer is External Flashover.
when hit, part of the lightning charge flows over the surface of the body - known as an 'external flashover,' and part through the body. The more that flows through- the more internal damage it causes.
(If your skin is moist from either rain or sweat, the moisture can rapidly turn to steam and explode-which is responsible for reports of clothes and shoes being blown off).
Lightning strikes though, do result in deep burns at the point of contact where the bolt enters the body - mostly on the head, neck and shoulders and can cause deep tissue destruction at the entry and exit points. The leading cause of immediate death (20% of all fatal cases) is cardiac or cardiopulmonary arrest from disrupted electrical flow in the body.
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
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How hot can a lightning strike get?
The lightning strike can get up to 30,000 Celsius which is 6 times hotter than the surface of the sun.
Is the sun hotter than electricity?
The answer to this question is technically yes, although a bolt of lightning is about five times hotter than the surface of the sun.
Is a lightning strike hotter than the surface of the sun?
Lightning strike Hotter than the Sun?The temperature of the air around a bolt of lightning is about 54,000°F (30,000°C), which is six times hotter than the surface of the sun, yet many times people survive being struck by a bolt of lightning. One man, US park ranger Roy Sullivan, was hit by lightning seven times between 1942 and 1977.The reason that heat is not always the major injury factor is that the air in the path of the bolt is ionized and expands rapidly, so that the thin gas does not contain as much heat energy as the temperature suggests. It is capable of causing localized second and third-degree burns, and burning off some lightweight clothing.In cloud-to-ground lightning, its energy seeks the shortest route to Earth, which could be through a person's shoulder, down the side of the body, through the leg, and to the ground. As long as the lightning does not pass across the heart or spinal column, the victim may not die.sun's temperature is enormous in the center compared with its surface.... lightening has temperature which lies in between the surface and center temperature of sun.......
How much greater is the temperature of lightning than boiling water?
10000 times hotter! That is your answer.
What is hotter center of the earth or surface of the sun?
nothing
Which is hotter the air in the vicinity of a lightning stoke or the surface photosphere of the Sun?
Air in the vicinity of a lightning bolt.
Is lightning hotter than the core of the sun?
No. The Sun's core is 16000000 Celsius while lightning a typical lightning bolt is about 25000 Celsius. However, lightning is several times hotter than the surface of the sun.
How hot can a lightning strike get?
The lightning strike can get up to 30,000 Celsius which is 6 times hotter than the surface of the sun.
Is lightning 5 times hotter than the core of the sun?
No it is not. the suns core is 15 million degrees Celsius. Lightning does not even come close to that hot. Lightning is, however, about 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun.
Is the sun hotter than electricity?
The answer to this question is technically yes, although a bolt of lightning is about five times hotter than the surface of the sun.
Is the sun or lightning hotter?
Lightning can heat the surrounding air to about 6000 degrees Celsius, approximately the same temperature as the surface of the Sun. However the air cools down almost immediately. Also the surface of the sun is the coldest part, the closer to the centre you get the hotter it is (and, mysteriously, the sun's atmosphere is much hotter than the surface too).
Is thunder hotter than the sun?
The surface of the Sun is 5,778 Kelvin or about 5,500 oCThe core of the Sun is about 15,700,000 Kelvin or 15,700,000 oCA lightning bolt is about 30,000 oC so hotter than the surface of the Sun.A quasar is probably the hottest thing around, where the brightest onesconsume about 100 Suns per year.
What is hotter than a lightning bolt?
The sun is hotter than a lighting bolt :)Most lightening bolts are as hot as the surface of the sun. the inner part of the sun is hotter than a bolt though.
Is it true that a lightning bolt is hotter than the suns surface?
Yes it is. The temperature of the surface of the Sun is 5,778 Kelvin. The temperature in a lightening bolt reaches 30,000 Kelvin.
Is a lightning strike hotter than the surface of the sun?
Lightning strike Hotter than the Sun?The temperature of the air around a bolt of lightning is about 54,000°F (30,000°C), which is six times hotter than the surface of the sun, yet many times people survive being struck by a bolt of lightning. One man, US park ranger Roy Sullivan, was hit by lightning seven times between 1942 and 1977.The reason that heat is not always the major injury factor is that the air in the path of the bolt is ionized and expands rapidly, so that the thin gas does not contain as much heat energy as the temperature suggests. It is capable of causing localized second and third-degree burns, and burning off some lightweight clothing.In cloud-to-ground lightning, its energy seeks the shortest route to Earth, which could be through a person's shoulder, down the side of the body, through the leg, and to the ground. As long as the lightning does not pass across the heart or spinal column, the victim may not die.sun's temperature is enormous in the center compared with its surface.... lightening has temperature which lies in between the surface and center temperature of sun.......
Is lightning brighter than the sun?
For the milliseconds that it exists, a bolt of lightning is actually hotter and brighter. However, it isn't there long enough for you to notice, so in effect the sun is brighter. This answer is partially correct. A lightning bolt appears the be brighter than the sun because it a lot closer, but it's not actually brighter. & a bolt of lightning is hotter than the sun's surface & a few layers under it.
What is hotter surface of sun or core of earth?
Surface of the sun is hotter.
