A blot from the blue, or in this case green

Daniel Pain, Science Editor, explains a striking

SCIENTISTS have harnessed the power of lasers to direct lightning strikes from 50 meters away to a lightning tower atop the Säntis mountain in Switzerland. The beautiful green beam marks the first time that electricity has been harnessed by lasers outside of the lab.

Currently, lightning protective technology is limited to classic lightning rods which runs the electricity down cables to the ground. However, this is impractical when trying to protect buildings of significant size such as an airport. As Aurélien Houard from the Institut Polytechnique de Paris in Palaiseau states: “You would need, for good protection, a lightning rod of kilometre size, or hundreds of meters.” It is hoped that while still in its early stages, this new technology could be used in these instances.