Here’s what lightning looks like in 3-D

From our vantage point on the ground, lightning usually looks like a forked line from the sky to the ground. But it's way more complicated and cool, as this model of lightning from the D.C. derecho shows.

From our vantage point on the ground, lightning usually looks like a forked line from the sky to the ground. But it’s way more complicated and cool, as this model of lightning from the D.C. derecho shows. This one looks kind of weirdly … brain-shaped? OMIGOD WHAT IF LIGHTNING IS DREAMING US

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