Copyright 1997 by Lynn Mills all
rights
reserved
contact Evan L Mills: wwindmills@comcast.net
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It's Source Found at Last?
Note!
The following
is only a postulate, not fact!
It
seems to answers troubling questions about where lightning originates and
it is a good model that fits the known parameters of lightning. It
predicts positive and negative lightning strokes and matches the envelope
of knowledge that
we posses about lightning like an expensive tailor made suit.
Copyright 1998 by Lynn Mills
Current
theories about lightning and it's
source are inadequate in that they leave gaping holes and puzzling unanswered
questions. They fail to explain where the enormous amount of energy is
derived
that drives a severe lightning storm. Nor do they explain how
this energy can accumulate so rapidly. How are such tremendous charges
in the atmosphere separated so quickly?
While working with his
research team at a National Severe Storms Laboratory on a
mountain top in New Mexico, Dr.
David Rust said,"I
think that we don't
really understand how it, (lightning), gets started. We don't
know how you get a big enough electric field. How do you get it
big enough to cause the air to break down?"
Some scientists
suggest that
lightning is the result of cosmic particles from space bombarding
the earth's atmosphere causing charges to separate. Others
theorize that lightning is the result of charges that are
separated by water being ripped from ice pellets. That dust or ice
particles bumping into each other causes charges to separate and
thus creates a potential
for lightning. If the cosmic particle
theory were true why don't intense solar flares cause
corresponding fluctuations in thunderstorm intensities. If the
ice theory were true, why do storms that contain no ice, (which
is detectable by radar) still produce lightning Why do newly forming or
condensing clouds immediately begin showing a charge and polarity. By
the same
token if the dust particle theory were true then large dust
storms or volcanic dust that gets caught up in a thunderstorm
should show a marked increase in the storms intensity. Why is
there a direct correlation, (as shown by NASA studies), between
the amount of rain in a storm and the amount of lightning? Why
should the volume of rain in a storm have anything to do with how
much lightning is produced?
~~~~~~~~~Because
Lightning is a product
of
condensation!
~~~~~~~~~~
It
is part of
the water cycle we all learned about in school.
Charge separation is as much a part of evaporation as is heat transfer
and I would go so far as to say that there can be no heat transfer
without charge separation. I believe the electron is the vehicle
for heat transfer during evaporation and without the
transfer of heat and electrons during evaporation there would
be no lighting and thunderstorms.
The
Postulate!
Water
molecules in
the liquid state share electrons covalently. This enables liquid
water molecules to exist at a lower energy state and is the
factor that makes water behave as a liquid. How ever when energy
in the form of heat is available the water molecules use this
heat energy to lock up a full compliment of electrons in the
valence band or a perfect dot diagram of eight electrons. The
molecule is now free to move about independently and is now a gas
and refuses to share any of its electrons with its neighbors. It
jumps into the atmosphere and leaves behind fewer electrons to be
shared by the rest of the liquid water molecules in the ocean.
As
the gas H2O
molecules cool and loose
their heat energy they also lose the ability to maintain a full
compliment of electrons and the gas molecules are forced to
condense with each other, become liquid, and once again share
electrons. In the process they give up the surplus heat and
electrons they can no longer afford to maintain. So
in the long view energy from
the sun enables the charge separation which is responsible for
lightning. If
condensation
is fast enough and in sufficient amounts then a lightning storm
ensues. Extremely rapid condensation in the huge thunder heads that
occur in the central and southern U.S. and prairies of Canada result in
spectacular lightning displays. I have witnessed a lightning storm in
Saskatchewan Canada in which the lightning was almost continuous and
the thunder just kept rumbling non stop.
So you see, lightning is
merely
a part of the water cycle.
From Ocean to sky to earth again.
Isn't it just like nature to recycle?
What
evidence is
there to support this lightning theory?
1.
I have
witnessed rapidly condensing freon producing sparks of static
electricity.
2.
I have
monitored a static meter at a Minute Man Missile repair site and
observed charges immediately begin to build as small clouds formed in a
blue sky on a
calm day. Why do charges separate in very small, newly forming clouds
on a calm
day? It can't be by the currently accepted and widely taught, Large
Particle / Small
Particle / Updraft theory!
There can be only one answer. *Electro release
condensation!
3.
Why do ground
fogs carry a charge? What is the mechanism that separates the
charge associated with fog? It can only be,*Electro-release
condensation!
4.
Ninety percent
of cloud to ground lightning strikes are negative cloud to positive
ground.
Just as it should be if condensing water droplets in cloud formations
free electrons.
5.
When Dr.
David Rust and
his team sent a probe into the anvil
of a thunder head they had a big surprise. Current theory said
that the upper levels of a thunder cell should be positive. Instead of
recording only high positive charges as they had supposed the
probe recorded unexpectedly, a large area of high negative charge
in the anvil. JUST WHAT YOU WOULD EXPECT in an area of a cloud
that is both condensing and dissipating, (by evaporation).
6.
NASA
has established that
there is
a direct ratio between the volume of rain produced in a storm and
the amount of lightning it produces.
7.
In an article
by Dr.
Hugh J. Christian
& Melanie A. McCook,
http://ghrc.msfc.nasa.gov/lightning/primertext.html (positive
lightning strikes), negative earth to positive cloud,
lightning
strikes are discussed. They are mentioned as,
"an
appreciable minority... of the total lightning strikes.... These
positive lightning flashes often occur during the dissipating (evaporating),
phase of
a
thunderstorms life".
This is
exactly what my
postulate predicts. Dissipating storms are in an evaporating
stage and evaporation ties up free electrons and produces the positive
charges that result in a
positive lightning strike.
8.
While observing
a large thunder storm as it passed over the top of the Wasatch
mountain range and continued bombarding the Morgan Valley on the
other side of the mountains we were treated to a spectacular
sight. As My brothers and I watched the lightning flash downward
and then behind the mountains. We saw fingers of lightning drain
towards the part of the cloud that had just flashed to the
ground. First the lightning fingers began immediately around the flash
point and then more and more and more each time migrating further
and further from the flash point, like a domino effect, but still
draining to the flash point. It continued after each lightning strike
until
the last fingers of lightning were nearly over us and still
draining all the way back to the original flashes. The lightning
fingers
didn't stop draining until they had drained what seemed to be the
entire thunder head. Since then I have seen the same sequence of
draining fingers of lightning on video. This appears to indicate
that a lot more of the cloud is negative than positive. It
appears that much of the inter cloud lightning is from negative
to less negative regions.
9.
Research by two
separate teams, Studwell
and
Orville (1995) and Holle and Watson, (1996) Discovered a predominance of positive
lightning flashes, (delivering net positive charge to ground), in areas
of
freezing rain. Again this is exactly what my theory predicts. As
water freezes it becomes negatively charged. Since freezing rain
becomes frozen on contact with the ground, (respectively) it
imparts a negative charge to the ground on freezing. Any
lightning discharge would be negative ground to positive cloud which
constitutes a positive lightning flash! The net result of the discharge
is
a positive charge left on the ground and a negative charge
delivered to the cloud!
10.
Laboratory
experiments directed by E J
Workman
at
the New Mexico Institute of mining and technology Back up the
freezing rain theory by showing that when dilute solutions of
water are frozen a large electric potential develops between the
water and the ice. The experiments show that the ice gains a
negative charge while the water retains a positive charge. Again
exactly what the theory of Electron
Transfer Via Matter State Change predicts
11.
Here is a copy
of a letter I received. Thanks to Mr.
Paul Brunson for giving me
permission to publish it
here.
Lynn,
We
have a static
shock problem at my plant on top of a structure. If you touch the
hand rail, any metal up there or even the guy next to you, you
get a pretty good shock. There is a small pin hole steam leak
from a high pressure steam line blowing onto the structure and
you, if you walk through it. My question is whether the steam
condensing on the metal hand rails and our bodies could be
releasing electrons like your lightning sources paper suggest?
Then when we touch each other or the hand rails we get a static
shock to equalize the charge.
Any input would be appreciated,
Paul Brunson
Olin Corporation
Charleston, TN
12.
Pictured below
is a machine that was built one hundred and fifty years ago by
Sir William George Armstrong. It is a steam boiler standing on
glass legs to insulate it from the ground. The steam was
exhausted through small jets and allowed to condense on a metal
pate which was electrically isolated from the boiler. Amazingly
the static build up on the metal plate was enough to jump a spark
up to two feet. OUCH! The theory then being that the static was
due to friction. (I'll add more as I get additional information).
Thanks to Michael
Foster for sending this
information.
13. Maintenance
crews and rescue workers who have a lot of experience around
helicopters are painfully aware of the large static shock they
can receive when a chopper is operating above moisture. The area
of the prop wash is so extensive that large amounts of moisture
are evaporated rapidly creating a highly charged area around the
helicopter.
14. The following is a letter received from
Andrew Sweeney. Thanks Andrew for giving me permission to publish it
here.
Lynn,
I just want to drop
you a line on a really well thought out theory. I did a degree in
Chemistry and Physics and can understand all the stuff in here and at
last someone has come up with a plausible answer to this question. Well
done and I am going to ask a few people around the traps if they can
better the theory or come up with some pointers.
Andrew
Sweeney
Brisbane
Queensland
Australia
15. The following I received
from Eric A.
Eikenberry. Thanks Eric for
letting me publish your letter.
Lynn,
Is this your own theory? Have you published it? This is the single,
most
correct, incredibly awesome theory of lightning that I have ever read
(and I read constantly!)! I've been through "All about lightning" by
Martin Uman, which is really just a compilation of the theories of
others into one book about lightning. Your theory is vastly superior to
his! In fact, with your permission, I'm going to place a direct link
from my links page to yours.
My site is
http://www.redrivernet.com/lightningbolts and
as you might
guess is dedicated to my own lightning photographs. There's about 40 or
so lightning photos on there, and some other general-type photos that
I've taken as I learned to take pictures. I'm a member of the Panhandle
Storm Chase Assn. based out of Lubbock, TX, although I've only chased
tornadoes once I look forward to chasing again soon.
Since I live in the "desert southwest" I've seen storms time and again
do exactly what you've suggested; rapidly build phenomenal energies and
release them in a short amount of time.
16. And yet
another note from Eric Anderson
I am amazed at this theory. It is the most reasonable and complete
theory I have ever seen on the subject. I am currently a college
student, and i think that i am going to try to create the experiment
that you suggested. Has anyone else attempted it? If your theory does
prove to be true, the implications are extreme. We could be looking at
a
future power source. Also, have you published this theory? If you
haven't please do...if it is correct, you should get all the credit. I
will keep you updated about the experiment Great Work, Eric
Anderson.
Thanks Eric
for permission to publish this.
The
"Mills
Law of Electron Transfer Via Matter State Changes," says
That when matter
changes states,
(solid to
liquid, liquid
to solid, liquid to
gas
or
gas to
liquid),
there will be a corresponding transfer of electrons in a direct ration
to the amount of heat transfered.
So the mills Law
predicts that in any cloud formations the areas of the clouds
that are condensing will have a negative charge or a surplus of
electrons resulting in cloud to ground negative lightning strikes. In
the parts of the clouds that are dissipating due to
evaporation there will be a loss of free electrons or a positive
charge and any lightning from these dissipating regions will be a
positive ground to cloud lightning strike. Also, freezing portions of
the cloud will become more
negative and thawing portions will become more positive. That the
volume and rapidity of condensation determines how much lightning
is produced.
The Mills Law if
true has far
reaching implications. One example. If the Earth is cooling and
rock is changing states from liquid to solid you would expect the
Earth to carry a net negative charge. On the other hand if the
Earth is heating up then the Mills law says you will find the
Earth to carry a net positive charge because the rocks are going
from solid state to liquid.
This law doesn't
just affect
lightning storms but also involves anything that changes states
from solid to liquid, from liquid to gas or visa versa. I would
even go so far as to propose that scraping our feet across a new
carpet, (which produces heat in the thousands of degrees),
generates the static charge by vaporizing on a micro scale carpet
fibers and then instantly condensing them creating a charge separations
that
accumulates on our bodies.
Summary
In summation then
you can
expect to see many more lightning storms in parts of the country
where there is the potential for large amounts of moisture to be
carried to great heights and cooled rapidly, such as the plains
of the U.S. and the prairie provinces of Canada. Especially in
the Southern U.S. where hot and cool airs collide. This produces
rapid condensation and rapid build up of charges resulting in dramatic
and severe lightning storms. In the
northwestern U.S and western coastal Canada there is plenty of
moisture.
It is relatively cool though and seldom collides with hot moist
air. It condenses slowly in most cases, giving charges from
condensation time to bleed off. The result is drizzle with few
lightning and thunderstorms. This theory seems to fit the known facts
of
lightning and thunderstorms and in fact predicts them. It is a good
model and
seems to hold true to the conditions that we observe relating to
lightning. It is the only theory that fits the signature and
characteristics of lightning from it's birth in the oceans and
quiet ascension into the heavens to it's fiery and noisy return
to earth again.
* "Electro-release
condensation" is the release of an electron from the outer
valance at the point of condensation and conversely
"electro-nabbed evaporation" is the capture of an
electron during evaporation.
Coined phrases
Copyright 1998
by Lynn Mills
I
am honored to display this
award from Study Web and also The Best of Pod from Tripods Weather Pod
BEST
of POD
I
value your inpute whether you endorse this theory or not. Any
suggestions or comments are greatly appreciated. If you have
experienced or know of any strange, unusual, or interesting
phenomena that might relate to this lightning paper please
contact me. I would like to hear from you. You may reach me at
the email address below. Thank you for visiting my site.
