How To Capture Lightning Like Thor! With Science!

Have you ever wondered how those little ‘lightning in a box’ things you see at random gift stores, internet stores, and fellow geeks houses are made?

Maybe you can make one to impress your friends, or give to your mom to distract her from the fact you still live in her basement (shh we won’t tell).

Whatever your motive – They look stunning and all are unique and impressive, but no, they don’t come straight from the hand of Thor.

With some pretty simple steps, science, and some not so simple tools, you too (mere mortal) can force lightning into a box!

How to capture lightning

It’s called The Lichtenberg Effect and Here is what you need to do it:

1. 1 Clear plastic polymer – such as fiberglass or acrylic
2. Linear Accelerator or Generator capable of generating high voltage (around 1 million volts)
3. Sharp object – such as a nail or insulated center punch

The following videos have some detailed (and awesome) examples of the process behind creating these things – Enjoy!

This effect is very similar to the result of lightning striking objects like people and tree’s

Guess what? You just learned something new! (maybe) So feel good about that ;)