John Heilbronn, age 7, of Newport News, Va., for his question:

Is it possible to photograph lightning?

In Andy's books there are many photographs of lightning, but they were not made with ordinary snap shot cameras. An ordinary camera works fast  but a streaky flash of lightning is even faster. You could not aim the camera and click the switch at the exact moment to catch the details. However, you might get a picture of the blurry light that lingers in the clouds after the vivid flash.

A special camera is needed for the job. It must be aimed where the lightning is expected to strike. It must be set in a special way to catch the fast flash if it happens to strike. The camera man makes many tries before he gets his picture. But a good photograph of a streak of lightning shows every bend in its bright, jagged path.