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NASA Pinpoints Lightning The Old-Fashioned Way

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the tech-on-your-tab dept.

ke4roh writes: "As a child, I would watch a lightning flash and count the seconds until I heard the first clap of thunder. Get three kids counting in different places, and you could figure out where that cloud-to-ground strike was by coordinating their counts. That's the premise behind NASA's latest lightning detector, according to a press release. It uses a radio to detect the strike and four microphones spaced about 20 feet (7 m) apart. The neat part is its accuracy - about 15 feet (5 m) within a 1 mile (1.6 km) radius. The information should help them determine if lightning may have damaged sensitive launchpad equipment."

1 of 13 comments (clear)

  1. NASA "Pinpoints"... by Wrexen · · Score: 3, Funny

    its accuracy - about 15 feet (5 m) within a 1 mile (1.6 km) radius.

    I don't know what kind of pins you're using, but they're probably not very effective at that size...