This wasn’t actually the aim of the experiment – the sparks should have been possible without a lightning strike. It also ambiguously implies that lightning struck the kite, saying “ lightning descended by the hempen string”. Priestley’s version is more detailed, and emphasises different things: it downplays the fact that the person must be indoors, and includes Franklin’s son in the story – presumably William Franklin, since his other son Francis died in 1736. The person holding the kite should be protected from the charge, but will be able to get a small spark to leap from the key when they hold their finger near it. When a storm approaches, the kite is electrified by just the presence of the clouds, and falling rain makes the kite’s twine wet so that it conducts electricity. This not only intrigued the scientist, but inspired him to set out and gather more observations between Philadelphia and Boston, leading him to document for the first time, the movement of storm systems in the northern hemisphere.Īfter years of studying the destruction and damage this storm (and others after it) left behind, Franklin correctly determined that storms do not always travel in the direction of prevailing wind, and that the surface winds of a storm system were only incidental to the forward movement of the storm.Alfred Jones’ vignette, produced for the American Bank Note Company, and one of the several images Moura studied – there are a few inaccuracies in it. With Boston in the northeast, Franklin assumed his brother also experienced the same weather.īut when the notes arrived from Boston, an interesting observation was made: his brother had seen the eclipse, detailing the event, but noted that afterward, the weather turned nasty with northeast winds, clouds and heavy rain (most likely a nor'easter). Unfortunately, it did not turn out great, as clouds, rain and brisk winds kicked up, blocking the view of the event. As an experienced astronomer, he set himself up to view it from his home in Philadelphia, and was eager to contrast it with how it looked in Boston, where his brother (1 of 9 siblings) lived. In late October 1743, Franklin was excited to view a lunar eclipse. Fast forward to 350 B.C., to when the Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote Meteorology, the first real compilation of meteorological studies, terms and collective observations. The study of weather can be traced all the way back to nearly 3000 B.C., when observers in India wrote about cloud observations and the water cycle. Although technology was either primitive or non-existent, we can oftentimes learn some great lessons from those who were pioneers in the field. New radars, applications, and advancements all keep us looking toward the future as we continue to improve and evolve everyday.īut sometimes it's fun to look back - way back, to when scientists first started discovering how to forecast the weather. One of the most exciting aspects of being a meteorologist is the ability to not only study a phenomenon that affects literally everything and everyone, but using new and exciting technology to do it. Many of his discoveries are used in modern meteorology today.His kite experiment proved that lightning was indeed electricity.He correctly hypothesized the flow and movement of storms.Benjamin Franklin discovered many modern meteorological concepts.
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