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The Viral Lightning Photo Is Misleading (Here’s What They Actually Measured)
A recent Smithsonian Magazine article claims scientists captured “ultraviolet sparkles” coming from treetops during thunderstorms — and the image used is dramatic, cinematic… and completely unrelated to how the science was actually done.
In this video, I break down the original research paper and explain:
• What the scientists actually measured
• Why ultraviolet emissions behave the way they do in atmospheric plasmas
• And how the media presentation can unintentionally mislead—even when the science is solid
This is a great example of how visual storytelling can diverge from experimental…
The skinny
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