Brazil - “Indescribable…Maybe, just unbelievable, like a dream come true.” said Fernando Braga to Pitapixel on the moment he captured the lightning strike of the Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on February 10.
Braga took to his Instagram page to describe the hard work, dedication, and patience it takes to capture such a special shot.
“After about three hours with the camera taking a sequence of more than 500 long exposure photos, finally this long-awaited photo appeared” said an excited Braga and urging to “Never give up.”
The Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro was dedicated on Oct. 12, 1931, the feast of Our Lady Aparecida, patroness of Brazil.
It is made of reinforced concrete and lined with soapstone. It is 125 feet tall and stands on a 26-foot pedestal. The outstretched arms are 92 feet wide.
In 2006, on the 75th anniversary of its dedication, Cardinal Oscar Scheidt, then archbishop of Rio, created the Archdiocesan Shrine of Christ the Redeemer of Corcovado.
In 2007, the Christ the Redeemer was chosen as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World in a global voting campaign sponsored by the New 7 Wonders Foundation.
The metal framework and antenna on the statue make it particularly vulnerable to lightning strikes during storms. While the statue itself is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone, the Brazil Christ Statue Lightning can still cause significant damage.
In 2008, the statue was struck by lightning and its right thumb was destroyed. In 2014, another lightning strike caused damage to its head.
The Brazilian government has taken steps to mitigate the risk of future lightning strikes, including installing a lightning rod system to direct the lightning away from the statue.
The government have restored the Statue to its original condition.