Ask A Scientist

General Science Archive


What is the speed of lightning?

Question:  What is the speed of lightning?
 thomasb

Answer:
According to the book, "It's Raining Frogs and Fishes,"
by Jerry Dennis, lightning bolts travel at speeds up
to 93,000 miles per second.  That's pretty darn fast.
What we see as a single lightning flash is actually
several lightning bolts that follow each other so rapidly
that our eyes see only a single flash.
-Grant


Back to General Science Topics Ask A Scientist Index
NEWTON Homepage Ask A Question

NEWTON is an electronic community for Science, Math, and Computer Science K-12 Educators.
Argonne National Laboratory, Division of Educational Programs, Harold Myron, Ph.D., Division Director.