Thunder
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- For other uses, see Thunder (disambiguation).
Thunder is the sound of the shockwave caused when lightning instantly heats the air around it to up to 30 000 °C (54 000 °F). That super-heated air expands rapidly, then contracts as it cools. The rapid expansion/contraction generates sound waves, making the sound that is called "thunder."
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Etymology
The d in thunder is epenthetic, and is not found in Modern Dutch donder, from earlier d-less Old English þunor, Middle Dutch donre, together with Old Norse þorr, Old Frisian þuner, Old High German donar descended from Proto-Germanic *þunraz, built on a PIE stem *Template:PIE also found in Sanskrit Template:IAST "thundering", Latin tonare "to thunder" (see also tornado).
Calculating distance
Since sound and light travel at different speeds through the atmosphere, one can estimate how far away the bolt of lightning is by timing the interval between seeing the flash and hearing the thunder. The speed of sound in air is approximately 332 m/s (742.6 mph). The speed of light is so fast that it can be ignored in this calculation. Therefore, the lightning is approximately one kilometer distant for every 3 seconds (or one mile for every 5 seconds).
List of thunder gods
Polytheistic peoples in areas with much thunder, or areas where thunder precedes drought-breaking rain, may postulate a thunder god.
Ancient Near East
- Teshub (Hurrian mythology)
- Adad (Babylonian-Assyrian mythology)
- Ishkur (Babylonian-Assyrian mythology)
- Baal-Hadad (Syrian mythology)
Eurasian
- Indo-European mythology
- Tarhunt (Hittite/Luwian mythology)
- Zeus, Brontes (Greek mythology)
- Jupiter (Roman mythology)
- Parjanya, Indra (Hinduism)
- Ambisagrus, Taranis (Celtic mythology)
- *Þunraz (Germanic mythology; Anglo-Saxon Þunor, German Donar, Norse Þórr)
- *Perkwunos (Balto-Slavic; Lithuanian Perkūnas, Slavic Per(k)un ), Norse Fjörgynn
- Perendi (Albanian mythology)
- Gebeleizis (Dacian mythology)
- Zibelthiurdos (Thracian mythology)
- Ukko (Finnish mythology)
- Horagalles (Sami mythology)
- Aplu (Etruscan mythology)
East Asia
- Lei Gong (Chinese mythology)
- Raiden (Japanese mythology)
- Raijin (Japanese mythology)
- Raitaro (Japanese mythology)
- Ajisukitakahikone (Japanese mythology)
Americas
- Xolotl (Aztec and Toltec mythology)
- Chaac (Maya mythology)
- Apocatequil (Incan mythology)
- Cocijo (Mexican mythology)
- Aktzin (Mexican mythology)
- Jasso (Mexican mythology)
- Haokah (Lakota mythology)
Africa
- Shango (Yorùbá mythology)
- Oya (goddess of thunder, Yoruba mythology)
- Azaka-Tonnerre (Voodoo)
- Mulungu
South Pacific
- Haikili (Polynesian mythology)
- Tawhaki (Polynesian mythology)
- Kaha'i (Polynesian mythology)
- Uira (Polynesian mythology)
See also: Category:Thunder gods
See also
External links
- Seek My Bowl on thunder as symbolca:Tro
de:Donner eo:Tondro es:Trueno fr:Tonnerre he:רעם id:Petir it:Tuono ja:雷 ko:천둥 nl:Donder pl:Grzmot ru:Гром simple:Thunder sk:Hrom sv:Åska vi:Sấm yi:דונער zh:雷