bead lightning

bead lightning

noun
lightning in which the intensity appears to vary along the path and which thus resembles a string of beads.
Also called chain lightning, pearl lightning.


Origin:
1900–05
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To bead lightning

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Bead lightning is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

bead lightning

form of lightning of longer duration than more typical lightning that appears as a string of luminous segments instead of a continuous channel. It occurs infrequently but has been observed many times. Its causes are unknown, but among the theories proposed are the following: portions of the lightning channel are slanted toward or away from the observer and thus seem brighter or dimmer; parts of the channel are obscured by rain or clouds; and sections of the channel with large radii cool more slowly than do those with small radii.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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