Re: Lightning strike safe distance

To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject: Re: Lightning strike safe distance
From: Daryl Dacko <mycrump-at-cris-dot-com>
Date: Thu, 6 Jun 1996 19:01:26 -0400 (EDT)

[ While fascinating, this discussion should move to the aforementioned
  HV list.  Thanks for your cooperation.  -- Chip ]

At 03:25 AM 6/6/96 -0600, you wrote:

>
>Anyone have a pointer to info that gives the safe distance for an unprotected
>human from a lightning strike?  Feeling a shock is not objectionable, avoiding
>injury is what matters.  Obviously there are a wide variety of conditions
>here.  Any info will be helpful.  
>
>
>      Loren Carpenter     |      Imagination is the true ground of being.
>      loren-at-pixar-dot-com     |
>

Hmm, at the risk of sounding like I'm bragging, I can state that direct
lightning strikes at a distance of eight to ten feet can cause nothing more than
ringing ears and a tendency to jump a bit at loud noises.

In both cases the gound was dry and the lighting struck a well grounded nearby
object.

I'd guess that it would be VERY hard to generalize as how close you could get
to a lighting strike, depending upon whether you include electrical,
thermal, sonic,
ground current, induced current, etc. effects as harmful...

Daryl 
(who has often wondered if a facination for EHV can be induced by close
lighting strikes)