Lightning: beautiful but deadly

PIC FROM JAY FINE / CATERS NEWS - This is the amazing moment a lightning bolt struck the iconic Statue of Liberty. The impressive moment was captured by New York photographer Jay Fine who spent the night braving the storm in Battery Park City, Manhattan, in a bid to get the perfect picture. Jay spent nearly two hours poised with his camera and took more than 80 other shots before striking lucky with this particular bolt of lightning at 8.45pm on September 22. The 58-year-old who has been waiting more than 40 years to capture the magnificent shot said he was stunned to see the photograph. To capture the shots Jay used a Nikon D300s with 60mm f/2.8 lens on the following settings: Aperture: F/10, Shutterspeed: 5 seconds, ISO: 200. SEE CATERS COPY.

In this Sunday, Aug 9, 2009 photo, lightning is seen striking the CN Tower in Toronto. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jim Bradford)

Neil Fraser watches as lightning hits beyond a church in Rosser, Man. early Sunday morning July 30, 1995, as a severe electrical storm made its way across southern Manitoba. Rosser is located just northwest of Winnipeg. (AP Photo/Winnipeg Free Press-Marc Gallant)

***TWIP MEMBER PAPER *** Lightning sparks across the night sky as a heavy thunderstorm makes its way across Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina on Tuesday night. Photo taken May 20, 2008 (AP PHOTO/The Roanoke Times, Kyle Green)

Lighting strikes over buildings in Nanjing, in China's eastern Jiangsu province Tuesday Aug. 1, 2006. (AP Photo/EyePress) ** CHINA OUT **

Lightning strikes as seen behind a house north of Center Street NE in Cedar Rapids. A severe storm passed through the Cedar Rapids metro area Thursday night Aug. 26, 2004.

WIND POINT, WI - AUGUST 18: Lightning streaks across Wind Point Light House on Lake Michigan as severe storms hit South Eastern Wisconsin August 18, 2005 in Wind Point, Wisconsin. The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings as storms tore across central and Southern Wisconsin, reportedly killing one and injuring 5 others, knocking power lines causing outages in parts of the Southwest, including Lafayette. (Photo by Darren Hauck/Getty Images)

Lightning bolts appear above and around the Chaiten volcano as seen from Chana, some 30 kms (19 miles) north of the volcano, as it began its first eruption in thousands of years, in southern Chile May 2, 2008. Cases of electrical storms breaking out directly above erupting volcanoes are well documented, although scientists differ on what causes them. Picture taken May 2, 2008. REUTERS/Carlos Gutierrez (CHILE)

In this photo taken Wednesday, June 3, 2009, lightning strikes over Guangzhou International Finance Center during a rainstorm in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong province. (AP Photo) ** CHINA OUT **

PAGE, AZ - MARCH 24: Lightning strikes as a much-needed rain storm comes to Lake Powell which is marked by a 100-foot thick "bathtub ring" of bleached sandstone, the result of a six-year drought that has dramatically dropped the level of the reservoir, on March 24, 2007 near Page, Arizona. Lake Powell and the next biggest Colorado River reservoir, the nearly 100-year-old Lake Mead, are at the lowest levels ever recorded. Environmentalists have long-lamented the damming of scenic Glen Canyon, the eastern sibling of the Grand Canyon, in the early 1960's to create the 186-mile-long Lake Powell. The US Bureau of Reclamation is evaluating four proposals to manage the drought on the Colorado River which supplies water and power to millions of people in the western states. The bureau has warned that shortages are possible as early as 2010. If the water drops too far, power generators at the dams will become inoperable. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

A bolt of lightning strikes near Terminal D as an American Airlines jet takes off from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Monday, Sept. 11, 2006, near Dallas, before an approaching storm moves through the area. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Tom Fox) ** MANDATORY CREDIT: NO SALES, MAGS OUT, TV OUT, INTERNET: AP MEMBERS ONLY **

epa01742418 Lightning thunderbolts light up the Rotterdam skyline early 26 May 2009 as a heavy storm raged over the Netherlands. EPA/Marco de Swart

A lightning bolt strikes through a rainbow during a thunderstorm over Sheridan, Wyo., late Wednesday, June 15,2005. (AP Photo/The Sheridan Press, Ryan Brennecke)

LONDON - AUGUST 07: Lightning flashes in the night sky over South London August 07, 2008 in London, England. The storm brought a temporary end to the hot and humid weather with light rain and a cool breeze. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Lightning strikes west of the Space Needle, late Wednesday, Aug. 4, 1999, in Seattle, Wash., during a storm that rolled through the Puget Sound area. (AP Photo/Eastside Journal, Patrick Hagerty)

Athens, GREECE: The ancient Greek Parthenon temple, atop the Acropolis hill overlooking Athens, is framed by a lightning bolt during a thunderstorm that broke out in the Greek capital, late 9 October 2006. Greece has experienced stormy weather since the weekend, with two regions now placed in a state of emergency because of flood-related problems that damaged homes and disrupted transport. AFP PHOTO ARIS MESSINIS (Photo credit should read ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images)