Lightning strikes the torch of the Statue of Liberty
A photo taken during storms in the Tri-state area appears to show the Statue of Liberty’s torch getting zinged by a bolt of lightning.
A picture that was captured on April 3 during storms in the Tri-state area seems to show a lightning bolt zinging the torch of the Statue of Liberty.
Lady Liberty is apparently struck by lightning multiple times a year, so she’s used to getting zapped. Although the precise amount is unknown, she is a prime target due to her height and copper coating, which conducts electricity.
Lady Liberty has stood guard on Liberty Island since 1886, standing for justice and liberty for all, but she wasn’t always green. The copper surfaces on the monument shone brightly like a brand-new penny when it was finished in 1886. However, as the metal oxidized over time, the color of the copper changed to green.
Author of The Statue of Liberty: A Transatlantic Story and history professor at New York University, Edward Berenson claims the sculptor never dreamed the copper statue would turn its famous greenish-blue tint some 20 years later.
“A copper carbonate known as patina forms on the surface of the copper plating when air and moisture interact with the copper plating on the Statue of Liberty,” explained Brett Rossio, an AccuWeather meteorologist. He clarified that this patina mask therefore prevents deterioration of the deeper copper layer underlying it. Pennies go through the same thing.
Although the weather could have an impact on the statue’s structural integrity, not all of the materials utilized in its construction could endure the weather in the port.
“You’ve got a choppy sea, the salt water sloshing into the Statue of Liberty, the rain is coming down, and the skeleton of the Statue of Liberty was originally made out of raw iron,” Berenson stated to AccuWeather. “You know what? It corroded.
In order to better survive the environment, steel was used in place of the corroded iron when the statue underwent renovations between 1982 and 1986. The torch was replaced as well because it was beyond repairable.
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