Europe’s first “lightning hunter” has generated striking animations of severe storms hitting the Earth. Built by Italian firm Leonardo, the system is the first satellite instrument that can continuously detect lightning across Europe and Africa. The imager is comprised of four powerful cameras. Each of them can capture 1,000 images per second, day and night, and detect a single lightning bolt faster than the blink of an eye. Algorithms then send the data back to Earth, for use in weather forecasts, climate research, and air transport safety. According to Eumetsat, the European weather agency, severe storms have caused an estimated €500bn…
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