Physicist dispelled the myth of the connection between a smartphone and lightning strikes

Environmentalist, physics engineer, author of the textbook "Housing and Communal Services Management" Ilya Rybalchenko commented on June 16 to Izvestia on whether smartphone radiation could in any way change the trajectory of lightning. According to him, the key factor in the formation of a discharge is not the presence of electronic devices, but the conductivity of air and the path of least electrical resistance.

"Lightning is following the path of least resistance. Electromagnetic radiation from a smartphone cannot significantly affect its trajectory," the expert noted.

He added that the idea of a phone influencing the direction of lightning is scientifically unfounded, since the energy and scale of an electric discharge are incomparable with any radiation from a mobile device.

Separately, the expert stressed that there are no differences between an on and off phone in terms of the risk of lightning damage. The smartphone itself is not a factor capable of attracting a discharge. He clarified that lightning strikes at the highest point or the most conductive object, most often a person.

At the same time, Rybalchenko noted that the thunderstorm itself is dangerous and people's behavior plays a much bigger role than the presence of a gadget. In particular, the height of an object, its position in an open area, and the physical properties of the body affect the likelihood of electric shock.

The expert also added that the energy of lightning disproportionately exceeds any possible electromagnetic effects from a smartphone, so the device can neither enhance nor weaken the effects of an impact.

According to him, the main recommendation during a thunderstorm remains unchanged — to avoid open spaces and observe safety measures, without relying on myths about the influence of consumer electronics on atmospheric phenomena.

Vladimir Bychkov, a leading researcher at the Moscow State University Faculty of Physics, academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, Chairman of the Russian Committee on Ball Lightning, said on June 14 that ball lightning is attracted by switched-on electrical appliances, including mobile phones, so they pose a danger during bad weather. According to him, if bad weather caught a person on the street and several lightning charges struck nearby at once, then to avoid meeting with a ball lightning, you should lie down on the ground — so a natural phenomenon can fly by.