Witness 100 Lightning Bolts Unleash Their Power in a Mesmerizing Time-Lapse

Astrophotographer Uğur İkizler has astounded us with an awe-inspiring and slightly unnerving photograph of lightning. Through his remarkable time-lapse, İkizler has beautifully documented over 100 distinct lightning bolts that illuminated the skies during a thunderstorm in Turkey.

This electrifying spectacle unfolded above the town of Mudanya, prompting İkizler to swiftly seize his camera and capture the mesmerizing bolts as they cascaded down. The entire time-lapse sequence spans an impressive 50 minutes, showcasing the relentless power of nature. Interestingly, such a substantial number of lightning bolts during a storm is not uncommon. Surprisingly, approximately 1.4 billion lightning bolts make contact with the Earth’s surface each year, averaging around 3 million strikes per day. To put it into perspective, that’s approximately 44 bolts per second, as reported by the esteemed U.K Met Office.

The abundance of lightning bolts striking every second on a daily basis easily explains how İkizler managed to capture such a multitude within a short timeframe, particularly if the storm was intense. Undoubtedly, the photograph beautifully showcases the characteristic zig-zag pattern of lightning bolts, a visual element that has gained popularity in contemporary artistic endeavors. Scientists speculate that this distinctive shape may be influenced by certain arrangements of conductive oxygen, although the precise mechanism remains elusive. Nonetheless, the presence of oxygen likely plays a role in shaping these patterns. Regardless of the underlying cause, witnessing the simultaneous occurrence of 100 lightning bolts in a time-lapse lasting less than 10 seconds is undeniably awe-inspiring. It serves as a captivating reminder of the vastness and enigmatic nature of our world, highlighting how much there is yet to discover.

In addition to İkizler’s remarkable work, we have previously been treated to close-up footage of thunderstorms. Astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy, for instance, shared a breathtaking video last year, offering us a more intimate view of the clouds and lightning bolts that constitute these magnificent displays of nature’s power.