Artist Found a Way to Capture Lightning in Plexiglass

Bert Hickman started making these Captured Lightning Sculptures in 2004.
Every year they try new experiments and techniques to better understand the physics and to further push the creative boundaries of the art.
Every year they learn something new.
Most of the sculptures they offer, fall within the $25 - $250 range.
They also offer a variety of custom and commercial lighting products to illuminate and enhance their infinite detail and beauty.
Thanks for watching
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CREDIT LINKS
► Bert Hickman KZbin Channel - / berthickman
► Bert Hickman Website Science FAQ - www.capturedlightning.com/fram...
► Original Video 1 - • Birth of a 12 x 16 x 1...
► Original Video 2 - • Birth of a 12 x 12 x 1...
► Original Video 3 - • Birth of a 12 x 16 x 1...
► Original Video 4 - • Birth of a 15 x 20 x 2...
► Original Video 5 - • 3D Log Spiral Capture...
► Original Video 6 - • Making "Captured Light...
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❌ COPYRIGHT : Please do not ask for permission to use footage in this video, or the whole video itself, as the ownership of all footage remains that of the owners who gave me permission to use it. If you want to use any of the footage click on the links above and seek permission from the owners.
► Outro Music From - www.legendfromheaven.com

[@AndHunt777]

I would love one of these in my living room. You know.. to spark conversation.

[@matthewbrown4485]

I hate you. Great comment haha

[@w1ll0w_99]

As terrible this joke is, I’ve been laughing at it for 1 minute straight. 🤧

[@Ellen2504]

Lol it kinda sounds like a dad joke ngl

[@BartSimpson-nr1dy]

Cute and cleaver play on words

[@greenlightxbpg]

lol what a dad joke

[@miked0602]

I can't get enough of Wonder World videos, great job!

[@davidduffy9806]

You’re continuing to impress, well done.

[@WonderWorldYTC]

Thanks David

[@peakgrind_]

we need the slow mo guys

[@loveiswhyiamherenow.2728]

Of this beauty I am in awe. Thank you so much for all the videos, which for us with love you are doing. 👍❤️

[@deathverries]

they're called lichtenberg figures!!! they're technically fractals as well. i love them so much :)

[@broskydoodle6697]

Okay I tried to make a funny comment, but this whole thing is awesome. We are turning _Lightning_ into art!

[@WonderWorldYTC]

I react more to good feedback and good comments over attempts of humor, but I know funny comments get likes :)

[@Quantum-Entanglement]

We?

[@abyssstrider2547]

Ride the lightning

[@Bleepbleepblorbus]

Than you should search up: fulgurites They're natural pieces of glass made with lightning, And before you ask: no they do not give you physic powers that stuff is bullshit

[@fatherpopecuddles2533]

It's a pretty "shocking" work of art

[@OurScientificSpiritualWorld]

How the hell someone can possibly give this video a thumbs down is as mind blowing as this incredible work of art... So awesome and brilliant!

[@matthewbrown4485]

They think it’s fake

[@rickybooker8995]

because its an ad

[@NeilFractorial]

yt now: what's a thumbs down?

[@tothepoint4080]

Drama for money

[@lgrdo2149]

Amish people hate this video

[@arenotdiy7280]

This is incredible, the work to make the set-up to even try making these is mind boggling. This in my mind solidifies electron negative-flow theory.

[@jimthomas7251]

I have done this in wood , They are beautiful

[@WonderWorldYTC]

I thought for sure he was going to get a shock at 0:45

[@argistrix5309]

Wonder World there was some sort of rubber or plastic holding on the metal nail, and they do not conduct electricity so that’s why his hand is safe. Plastic and rubber are types of insulators

[@WonderWorldYTC]

@@argistrix5309 yes the tools they use are all insualted, but he does state on the website the workers get secondary after shocks, which is all part of the job, but at 0:45 is the only time you see them touching the acrylic in the videos, i thought he would get a shock.

[@EddieTheH]

​@@argistrix5309 It's actually the earth cable that protects him, otherwise, plastic or not, he would have been the path of least resistance. 2.5m volts will easily exceed the breakdown voltage of that PVC pipe, it did make it halfway through that denser acrylic remember.

[@TAR3N]

Your video is a nutshell within a nutshell of another nutshell on how this works. It demands an entire series to explain how and why this works :)

[@jonathanallen1605]

Actually the basics of the process are not all that complicated They can be explained by classical theory, except for the relativistic velocities of the electrons. Actually, the narrator mentions this as well, though without the math.

[@jonathanallen1605]

In 1970 when I was a graduate student in physics, I worked part time at High Energy Processing Co. in New Bedford, MA where we ran a 7 MeV electron accelerator. After observing accidental "captured lightning" effects in plastics we began exploiting the effect intentionally by a process very similar to the one in the video. I still have a few pieces. It's good to see that the process has been copied in recent times.

[@mmlips]

Wow! Absolutely gorgeous.

[@R0adkillRacc00n]

always get to see the coolest stuff here

[@PylesOfPepe]

Curious how this would work with huge pieces of crystal.

[@foxrumor]

I'm not sure this would work in Crystal

[@vladimirlenin843]

Crystal are not the same

[@loafofbread9400]

Wouldnt work acrylic is used cause its a insulator

[@Muonium1]

It works exactly the same save for the fact that the crystal glows a different color (depending on its type) than the acrylic here and is not sufficiently insulating to hold the charge long enough (and too brittle) to form Lichtenberg figures like this. You may see large crystals of calcite glowing orange while being irradiated in exactly the same way on here in a video titled "Radiation shielded GoPro sent through electron beam irradiator".

[@carnage2756]

I just found your channel I already love it

[@drjonesey5]

Thank you as soon as I saw this I went and search some artwork to buy with this effect.

[@mayraalejandra4482]

A lichtenberg sculpture very pretty

[@deranathonarkantos6712]

I love watching the energy release. I wish I could find some high speed footage of it.

[@Hollieandlife]

Where can we buy these?! Soooo beautiful!

[@1.4142]

A similar thing is when lightning strikes sand, it creates tubes of sand in the shape of the current called fulgurites.

[@alanluscombe8a553]

Does it do it like on a beach where it hits? So if you dig down you’ll find it or something?

[@1.4142]

@@alanluscombe8a553 If you can find the exact spot, probably. There are private sand mines in florida along the lake wales ridge where you can dig them out of the sand.

[@alanluscombe8a553]

@@1.4142 that would be so cool to do

[@lyd3815]

@@alanluscombe8a553 yeah but they are very fragile so itd be rwally rare for u to find something good.

[@Euporia21]

Would love the slow motion of this video

[@HoldYourSeahorses]

It would’ve been great if he would’ve let the video end a tiny bit later so we can see it from the side for once.

[@dahgman3225]

Well that 'Sparked' my interest, fascinating too

[@h7opolo]

subbed. your now that much closer to reaching 1 Million subs.

[@PaperDragons]

Finding these little gems is what you do best. Great video. I wonder if they are able to make a solid acrylic bottle and tap it at the top . Then put the LED in the cap.

[@WonderWorldYTC]

they did a very complex looking guitar, so a bottle should be doable - kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3WcZoeiea-gh7c

[@PaperDragons]

@@WonderWorldYTC thanks! I made a quick mockup and requested a quote. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pn_Ndp57qcqYldk

[@WonderWorldYTC]

@@PaperDragons interesting, let me know if they can do it for you

[@BertHickman]

We did a few as an experiment: www.capturedlightning.com/photos/For_Sale/Lichtenbergs_11-16-07/Bottled_Lightning/Large/Group/IMG_0298.JPG www.capturedlightning.com/frames/LF18-2nd.html

[@PaperDragons]

@@BertHickman they are beautiful! I would love to buy one and mount it hanging with a hidden led in a faux cap. IEDIT: I missed the html link the first time. I see them on the order page now. Thanks!

[@maidengems304]

Awesome!

[@whatintheworldisthat]

Very cool!

[@corbinwalker1505]

Ngl he shocked and amazed the world with that video like a magician🤩🤩

[@wellhelltherefellwhuman4637]

This looks awesome! I bet they will start making dyed lighting art! *_Oh man! I need me some of those!!!_*

[@brianroberts815]

Yeah. They'd be awesome blue or orange. Oh. I spoke too soon. They use LEDs to give em color.

[@ShauryaAMehta]

Epic! ⚡️⚡️⚡️

[@asvarien]

That's flipping incredible!!!!!

[@lilpsychofficial]

Slow mo guys needa do a video on this right here

[@marijanzivkovic2089]

WOOOOW AMAZING

[@dirasap]

it's so beautiful. i wish to attemp to have one.

[@jimthomas7251]

I have done this in wood , Made over 50 of them ,

[@jb6725]

After years of killing giants and barely surviving Jörmungandr Thor eventually settled down and became an artist:

[@MekazaBitrusty]

Looks like I’m buying me a Christmas present 🎁 👍

[@MegaSnail123]

Now thats impressive 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@mrjason9382]

Thanks for shareing

[@shoesoul4016]

Amazing video! Curious what your outro music is. It's really cool.

[@WonderWorldYTC]

its from the start of this - kzbin.info/www/bejne/o5LGgmZ4bb2epbc

[@apogeeangel2387]

So Cool

[@beginator8637]

Cool

[@ALCRAN2010]

Everyone: gorgeous!! No one: I bought one!!

[@Jaggerbush]

It leaves this pattern not just on the ground but on your skin if you've been struck.

[@John-oi4jp]

What happens when you break the glass though

[@Glazed4Dayz]

Wild

[@lukastatyrek3227]

Hi, really nice work, I love it! But why is the piercing white toll usually connected to power supply and sometimes like at 0:40 it is not?

[@kylemilford8758]

Ground strap

[@acesandjacks7241]

Wow. So literally in the photography sense “capture”

[@Kidozy]

Very pretty

[@SergeantExtreme]

This is very similar to Lichtenburg Wood Burning, which is another topic I highly suggest you check out. It would make a cool new Wonder World video!

[@GalacticTommy]

Too many people died from that

[@SergeantExtreme]

@@GalacticTommy Go ₣ữ€₭ yourself. 2 million people died from smoking within the last 5 years, yet I don't see you crusading against that.

[@jorgeleal4624]

I'm thinking about making a table like this with led and multiple panels

[@lumivesper]

I wonder if this energy is stored efficiently and consistently, how much energy density there is in there, and also if it can be harnessed...

[@irvincastro6707]

Creo que es por el movimiento, no se discipan y vuelven a coincidir con otros, en esas areas el voltaje es mas alto por eso es liminoso

[@erikziak1249]

Are there any cylindrical versions?

[@franciscolooz2619]

What about if its still soft? How will it look

[@simonwilczynski5863]

Does this mean That the slab of acrylic is basically a capacitor? It's holding a huge electrical charge and discharges at a very fast speed.

[@WonderWorldYTC]

Good question, wish I had thought to ask him that.

[@jupa7166]

Yes!

[@maxdout564]

"Hey man what are you doing for a living these days?" "Eh nothing too exciting, just blast acrylic with an incredibly expensive 5 million volt electron accelerator and then hit it with a nail to create art"

[@rioputra8795]

Have you tried with acrylic?

[@ellingtonmoose3274]

Where can you buy one? I want to make one of these the pick guard on my electric guitar.

[@chucktaylor4384]

Shut up and take my money!!! lol. I heard of doing something like this to wood, but this is way more impressive.

[@j.c187]

And the gamma radiation made from making this is insane

[@peterdefrankrijker]

Wow! You mean while striking the acrylic with the nail? Can you explain a bit more?

[@navneetpandit7299]

I wonder why the discharge does'nt occur when the grounded nail is just brought in close proximity to the highly charged plexiglass slabs even before the impact of hammering is done?🤔🤔

[@Taxemo]

Was gunna try this for a project tell I realized I need a particle accelerator.

[@hobbyandstuff500]

lets suppose that you were able to have a lightning strike into a block like this. would it explode or could it absorb the electrons quick enough to make one of these?

[@WonderWorldYTC]

lightning can melt sand and turn it into glass, being these blocks are just acrylic it would probably melt it.

[@hobbyandstuff500]

@@WonderWorldYTC worth a try

[@theunknownclasher4761]

Does these sparklings stays forever?

[@omened888]

This is like thor's art masterpiece..isnt it ironic that you have to hit the glass with a hammer and nail? Thors weapon of choice lol anyway good video keep up the good work

[@cypherusuh]

Didn't know that thor uses nail

[@omened888]

@@cypherusuh what else do you use a hammer for besides a weapon? Lol i know thor doesnt really use a nail funny enough that was my nickname in woodworking in highschool cause whenever I would hit a nail with a hammer it would always seem to spark lol "calm down thor"

[@cypherusuh]

@@omened888 breaking walls, tenderizing meat, crushing bones. Probably there's more, but it's useful for hitting general stuff

[@danielauen7790]

I wonder if I can do it without the particle accelerator, by just putting a block outside, and just summoning naturalish lightning...

[@Tristan-jt3id]

We need the slow mo guys to do it

[@Xeno_Bardock]

These are all positive lightning discharges. What about capturing negative lightning discharges in acrylic? They look very different than positive lightning discharges. WhyPhi talks about the less known negative lightning discharges in his Lightning & Electricity video.

[@IGLivestreams]

Learning about people dying doing this brought me here

[@cosmicraysshotsintothelight]

It does not "inject the glass"... It *releases* them into the "attractor".

[@Ash-zh5yg]

Oh shit, they are striking the glass with lightning basically.

[@wayejcreative]

wow

[@cadbane6462]

So there is energy stored in that acrilic ?like is it dangerous when it comes out of the accelerator if you touch it?

[@LimabeanStudios]

Yes the energy is stored inside (temporarily). No it is not dangerous to touch when it comes out.

[@frankh.3849]

I wish I would have seen this technology before 2022

[@gor7991]

I want to figure out how to make one of those

[@Justin-ut2vw]

Shocking.

[@weldmachine]

# 207. Good Idea.

[@Putrefrye]

Light tells you the way

[@perjalananwaktu7181]

well glass was made out of sand that contain iron so its conducturable for electricity

[@echad6259]

Lightning scars are cool

[@johnnysharp6210]

Where to buy one

[@terraint3697]

Just like how Mountains were formed (not erosion).

[@dizzy6277]

If the sculptures kept their charge for years, those sculptures would be worth $$$$$$$$.

[@Xajinthepsychonaut]

o.0 fucking cool bro......now I want one😏

[@joshchavers7391]

I fucking love science stuff. 😊❤

[@ElectricUniverseEyes]

🤜🏿⚡️🤛🏼

[@KittyBoom360]

I LOVE these kinds of demonstrations and experiments the electromagnetic force! Thanks! Did you know that EM force is an alternative explanation for planetary surface features? If you scale up lighting, it can explain formations like craters, mountains, canyons, dunes, etc found on all celestial bodies. Seriously, compare the image in your video clip to like a top down view of the Grand Canyon. If you find this curious and like experiments, check out the Thunderbolts Project on KZbin.

[@ParadigmUnkn0wn]

I smell flat-earth bulls**t in here.

[@KittyBoom360]

@@ParadigmUnkn0wn Must be some leftover B.S. on your upper lip then. No flat-earthers here.

[@PokeNebula]

why would you want to invoke lichtenberg figures to explain things that are already perfectly explained by hydrodynamics, gravity, and asteroid collision?

[@KittyBoom360]

@@PokeNebula For one, plasma science is relatively new and so can help progress science toward our next paradigm shift. It's just normal that future science will always look back and kinda laugh at old science. It's just hubris to think we actually have all of the right answers today. And two, experiments with plasma actually better fit many observations. For example, a plasma welder on rocky material will leave behind features such as perfectly circular cratering, as well as craters on rims of craters, which we see all over the moon. There are no experiments which demonstrate that objects impacting from any angle will leave behind circular craters in rock, none. The closest we have to any experiments on this issue use loose material like sand, not actual rock, relying on theory and not observation about how rock would behave under such extreme impact velocity. I prefer demonstration and observation over mere theory. Also, we've never actually even observed a naturally occurring "impact" crater be formed. Objects that enter our atmosphere experience an electric discharge that obliterates them before ever reaching the surface and the debris never leaves a crater. So, basically, there's zero actual science that craters are formed by impacts. I suspect that today's crude theory of simply smashing objects together to explain stuff will give way to a more sophisticated understanding of nature in the future. Consider too, that the EM force is magnitudes stronger than the force of gravity. So ignoring it is kinda ridiculous. It's actually been a running joke for many years how astronomers and cosmologist never really consider the EM force and actually are far from experts on it. The study of EM is more like an undergrad afterthought that is forgotten. Meanwhile, there's a growing community of actual experts from fields like electrical engineering and plasma science who are starting to think the EM force is the dominant force for explaining most of nature, especially after you realize that pretty much everything we see in the cosmos is in the ionized plasma glow state and thus should be ruled by the EM force. We even often just forget everyday things like why isn't gravity pulling you to the center of Earth? Well, because the EM force prevents it. It's what makes things seem "solid," so to speak. And, there's some pretty good theoretical arguments that gravity is actually just a result of objects forming a dipole and thus actually just being an aftereffect of a structured EM force object, as well explaining the other two forces so that there may really just be one force, the force. Indeed, having four forces does seem a bit odd when you think about it.

[@magicsasafras3414]

Didn't Dave explains disprove this theory

[@nauvalarvie7208]

Can u explain it in physics?

[@tylerp3327]

I tried this once and my heart stopped

[@user-ne2wg2qn8c]

전류를 양쪽에 연결하나요?

[@pro.empire]

can this work on quartz crystal?

[@vannessabee5693]

Wonder how long it lasts

[@marleycarey9150]

What happens if you hit it twice with that?

[@nielschristianrandmomsen3578]

Nothing, all the charge is gone after the first hit. ofcourse you would make a small hole from the actual tip of the metal penetrating the surface, but nothing special

[@fractalnomics]

Wow, I am currently (pun ha ha) writing a paper on how light and the quantum is fractal. We have fractals here.

[@guadalupedelrosal6791]

Como se llama el instrumento

[@jillcomardo8896]

Where can these be purchased?

[@jimthomas7251]

I make them out of wood , They are beautiful looking after I polyurethane over them

[@eljangoolak]

well this is very interesting, instead of breaking the glass why not use this to pull electricity from the ground(since it would create a huge gradient when held close to the ground). we would just need to cover it with a layer of materials to make sure the electricity doesn't run off

[@barcodenosebleed5485]

It's not actually being broken, just mechanically 'shocked' (as in very forcefully tapped) at a single, small point. From the site: When mechanically shocked, a dielectric material that is highly stressed by an electrical field breaks down, explosively releasing energy that was previously stored within the electrical field, causing larger molecules to break into into smaller, gaseous byproducts. It's an inherent property of the acrylic that after pretreated by the static electricity, a strong tap is what initiates the discharge in the particular way that creates these figures.

[@eljangoolak]

@@barcodenosebleed5485 Thank you, but that didn't really have much to do with what I was suggesting

[@tylermorris5993]

you inferred that the glass was breaking, he countered.. that had plenty to do with your suggestion@@eljangoolak

[@Based_Dept.]

I wonder what it would look like if the left it in the beam for five minutes

[@OneWhoDreamsAwake]

I have only one question: Where can I buy one of these?

[@jimthomas7251]

I have made them in wood , They look like tree branches or lightning strikes

[@the-dullahan]

@@jimthomas7251 you can't make these with wood. You can make Lichtenberg figures imprinted into wood by passing electricity through it, causing it to burn, but that is literally nothing like what is happening here. Wood is nowhere near good enough of an insulator to make one of these out of, and would be immediately damaged if battered with electrons moving at nearly loghtspeed being thrown at it.