Nothing more romantic than a discharge of energy that allows the atmosphere to restore electrostatic balance, lightning nonetheless thrills us, frightens us and holds us spellbound. TIME’s photo editors offer a selection of stunning images showcasing a powerful force that kills about 50 people in the U.S. each year.
Lightning strikes the Willis Tower in downtown on June 12, 2013 in Chicago.Scott Olson—Getty ImagesLightning is seen above buildings during a storm in central Shanghai, Aug. 15, 2012.Aly Song—ReutersA multiple exposure photograph shows lightning striking above Maseru, capital of Lesotho, Sept. 27, 2011.Alessandro Della Bella—EPASummer rain storms and lightning roll across the plains near the Petrified Forest National Park, in Navajo, Ariz., Aug. 31, 2011.Ralph Lauer—ZUMA Press/CorbisLightning strikes over the Puyehue volcano, over 500 miles south of Santiago, Chile, June 6, 2011. Francisco Negroni—APA lightning bolt strikes through an ash cloud erupting from the Grimsvotn volcano in Iceland, May 21, 2011.Ragnar Axelsson—Bloomberg/Getty ImagesLightning strikes near the Statue of Liberty in New York City, Oct. 11, 2010.Jay Fine—Caters NewsLightning streaks across the sky as lava flows from a volcano in Eyjafjallajokul, April 17, 2010. Lucas Jackson—ReutersLightning strikes above a cheetah with adolescent cubs on termite mound in Maasai Mara, Kenya, Sept. 22, 2009.Paul Souders—CorbisLightning strikes over the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) as the ship transits through the Persian Gulf, March 28, 2007.Heidi Giacalone—EPA/CorbisLightning strikes as the players leave the field due to the electrical storm during the NatWest Series One Day International between England and Australia played at Edgbaston in Birmingham, United Kingdom, June 28, 2005.Tom Shaw—Getty ImagesA lone lightning bolt strikes the ground beneath an isolated supercell thunderstorm at sunset in Kansas, June 5, 2004.Jim Reed—CorbisLightning strikes the Empire State Building in New York City.CorbisLightning strikes during an electrical storm at night in the Grand Canyon.Kolb Brothers—National Geographic Society/Corbis
