Antistatic sprays help counteract the effects of static electricity on the small scale we usually find around our homes.

And Now for the Main Attraction

Just what is lightning, anyway?

You’ve probably heard a snapping sound and felt a shock when touching a door knob or metallic object after walking across a carpet. If the room was sufficiently dark, you may have seen a little spark of light at the same time.

It’s no coincidence. The spark, the snap, and the shock were all caused by the same thing. You built up such a large charge through friction with the carpet that electrons were able to jump the gap between the doorknob and your hand.

Thunderstorms cause a tremendous buildup of charges in the clouds (all those water molecules rubbing together). Like your walking across the carpet, when the charge difference becomes great enough, a spark (electrons) will jump the gap to neutralize the charge.

In this case, however, the spark will be a FLASH! the snap will be a BOOM! and the shock could very well be FATAL!The brilliant flash of light is the sudden flow of electrons between a charged cloud and the earth or between one cloud and another of opposite charge. And the thunder? In passing through the air, lightning superheats it to sun-like temperatures. This causes the air to expand rapidly, with a sound much like that of an explosion.

As effective as antistatic treatments are, though, they can’t possibly provide any protection against Nature’s premier example of static electricity:  lightning.