Friday evening’s (April 25) powerful thunderstorms produced these Sear Tower
lightning strikes photographed by Gaurav Garg of Wilmette. Gaurav asks how the
antenna withstands this and all lightning. The fact is, Gaurav, the antenna is not
being hit directly—the appearance notwithstanding. Instead, a corona of charged ions
which pools up around the antenna is interacting with a charge descending from
above to give off the light we see in these lightning strikes. Thanks for such terrific
shots!
-Tom Skilling
Photos courtesy of Gaurav Garg, Wilmette, Illinois
