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Free Ranging
Saturday 19th of October 9.47a.m. Sunny breaks through darkening cloud cover. Gentle 14.8 / 16.7kph SE, Hg 49%, 20.7C / 69.3F top of 24C / 75F. Shower or two developing. Marine wind warning. Hazardous surf.
Moon is 96.4%
Multiple lightning strikes near the Sunshine Coast captured a few years ago. (Supplied: Thomas Hinterdorfer)
As thunderstorms exploded across several parts of Australia this week, photographers jumped into action.
Stunning storm photos emerged from parts of Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia, many with a distinct purple hue.
Lightning can come in many different colours, including yellow, brown, pink and red, depending on environmental factors.
But Bureau of Meterology senior forecaster Jessica Lingard said purple was the most common colour.
"Like a rainbow, it's the light from lightning that refracts in the spectrum," she said.
"The hotter the lightning is the more likely we'll see those blues and purples than reds or pinks."
Ms Lingard said lightning was made up of highly charged electrons that "zip through the atmosphere".
"Lightning excites all the other molecules in the air by ionising it, which makes them quickly release photons or visible light," she said.
"Because our atmosphere is mainly comprised of nitrogen and atmosphere, we tend to see a combination of violets, reds and blues."
Moon is 96.4%
Why purple is the most common colour of lightning seen during a thunderstorm
2 hours 17 mins ago
By Paul Cook and John Dobson
Multiple lightning strikes near the Sunshine Coast captured a few years ago. (Supplied: Thomas Hinterdorfer)
As thunderstorms exploded across several parts of Australia this week, photographers jumped into action.
Stunning storm photos emerged from parts of Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia, many with a distinct purple hue.
Lightning can come in many different colours, including yellow, brown, pink and red, depending on environmental factors.
But Bureau of Meterology senior forecaster Jessica Lingard said purple was the most common colour.
Hotter lightning more likely to be purple
Ms Lingard said the humidity in the atmosphere, water vapour, gas in the atmosphere and distance of the observer from the storm could affect the colour of lightning."Like a rainbow, it's the light from lightning that refracts in the spectrum," she said.
"The hotter the lightning is the more likely we'll see those blues and purples than reds or pinks."
Ms Lingard said lightning was made up of highly charged electrons that "zip through the atmosphere".
"Lightning excites all the other molecules in the air by ionising it, which makes them quickly release photons or visible light," she said.
"Because our atmosphere is mainly comprised of nitrogen and atmosphere, we tend to see a combination of violets, reds and blues."
