On a stormy night filled with lightning and thunder, a bright spherical object the size of an orange or a grape flies through the window into the house, or glides across the yard, flashing for a few seconds, destroying furniture before disappearing, leaving behind a sound and a strange smell. This phenomenon is known as ball lightning.
The Mystery of Dangerous Ball Lightning in Nature
What is Ball Lightning?
For a long time, ball lightning was not acknowledged as a real phenomenon. Many scientists claimed it was merely an optical illusion. However, over time, events have demonstrated that ball lightning is indeed a reality.
Ball lightning is an unexplained electrical phenomenon in the atmosphere. This term refers to luminous objects, often spherical, ranging in size from that of a pea to several meters in diameter. It is typically associated with thunderstorms but lasts significantly longer than the brief flash of a lightning bolt.
Ball lightning was once thought to be a rare phenomenon.
Ball lightning was previously considered a rare phenomenon. Recent studies have shown that only a small percentage of the American population has ever witnessed it. Photographs of ball lightning are even rarer, and the details provided by witnesses vary greatly. Electrical discharges can occur at any time during a major thunderstorm, occasionally arising from a lightning strike, but most often, they appear unexpectedly during clear weather.
Ball lightning typically floats, glides through the air, and can take on various shapes, including spherical, egg-shaped, teardrop, or stick-like, with sizes much larger than that of a lightning bolt. The largest observed size is about 40-50 cm. Many are colored from red to yellow, sometimes transparent, and some emit rays around them.
In August 2013, researchers from the U.S. Air Force Academy created and photographed bright white plasmoid balls in the laboratory. These balls were generated from high-voltage electrical sparks formed by electrodes partially submerged in an electrolyte solution, and they referred to this phenomenon as “air pressure plasmoids resembling ball lightning“.
Causes
The characteristics and formation process of ball lightning are natural lightning phenomena, typically spherical or orb-shaped, often lasting for extended periods and measuring from a few centimeters to several tens of centimeters in diameter. It is characterized by low brightness, high stability, and slow movement. The formation process of ball lightning can primarily be divided into three stages: formation, stabilization, and decay.
Ball lightning occurs infrequently and lasts for a short time.
Formation Stage: The formation of ball lightning is associated with storm activity, where positive and negative ions in the atmosphere create an electric field through the process of lightning. This electric field causes the polarization of air particles, forming small charge clusters. When the electric field reaches a critical value, these charge clusters rapidly grow, creating an area with a higher charge density.
Stabilization Stage: In areas with higher charge density, strong ion clouds are formed. Electrons and positive ions in these ion clouds are rapidly moved by the electric field, creating plasma. The properties of plasma allow charges to continue conducting electricity and releasing energy within the ball lightning, maintaining its stable state.
Decay Stage: The decay process of ball lightning is influenced by many factors such as humidity, temperature, and air pressure. As these environmental factors change, the speed of electron and ion movement slows down, leading to a gradual decrease in charge density in the plasma, resulting in the decay and disappearance of ball lightning.
The physical causes of ball lightning formation are a complex and variable process, and currently, there is no clear explanation. However, scientists have proposed several plausible theories to explain the physical causes of ball lightning formation.
Electric Field Accumulation Theory: Ball lightning may be caused by the existence of a region with a strong electric field in the atmosphere, causing ion clouds to accumulate together, forming a plasma ball structure.
Bubble Theory: Bubbles form when gas at high temperatures in a lightning bolt cools rapidly. The electrons and ions in the bubble form a spherical plasma through the influence of the electric field.
Focused Beam Theory: Ball lightning is produced when the light beam from a lightning strike is focused as it travels through the atmosphere, creating a spherical plasma region.
Unusual Characteristics
Ball lightning often moves in a horizontal direction at speeds of several meters per second. They can hover in mid-air or descend from clouds to the ground. They rarely rise like hot air balloons moving through the air. Many reports describe them as spinning while in motion. Occasionally, they bounce off hard objects or the ground.
The mysterious phenomenon “ball lightning” continues to puzzle researchers.
The “behavior” of ball lightning is the most intriguing aspect for scientists. Unlike regular lightning and other electrical phenomena, it does not “pay attention” to conductors, metal objects, and water more than less conductive or non-conductive items. Instead, it behaves as if guided by curiosity and intelligence akin to that of an animal: it flies around and follows people, “exploring” rooms and hovering in mid-air near objects as if to “get a better look.”
The phenomenon of ball lightning becomes even more mysterious as some witnesses assert that they have seen it pass through materials considered excellent insulators, such as glass or composite materials.
Witness Accounts
“During a storm, I saw a large red ball come down from the sky. It struck my house, cut the phone line, burned the window frame, and then fell into the water tank right below. A few minutes later, the water began to boil, and when it cooled down, I searched for a long time but found nothing in the tank,” a witness recounted.
Reverend John Henry Lehn was in his bathroom in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania during a thunderstorm when he saw a fireball the size of a grape just outside the window curtain. It silently passed through the curtain without tearing or damaging it, then circled around Reverend’s feet.
Two boys were taking shelter from the rain under a barn roof. Suddenly, a red-yellow fireball appeared on a poplar tree. It jumped from branch to branch, descended to the ground, and rolled toward the barn. Small orange sparks flew from the ball like a glowing iron rod. The two boys stood still. When the ball rolled close to them, one boy kicked it with his foot. The strange ball exploded with a piercing shriek. The two boys fell over but fortunately survived. However, among the 12 cows in the barn, 11 were killed.
Interestingly, reports indicate that ball lightning originates from metal objects. Meteorologist N. Nartunop once observed ball lightning jumping out of an open telephone box. The fireball rolled across the floor and then exploded. According to reports from Konganop in Kolomana, ball lightning appeared near the meter box during a lightning discharge. It has also been observed that ball lightning can emerge from light sockets without bulbs or from electrical outlets.
Engineer I. Motsalop in Nigioni Taghin also discovered a small blue ball forming on top of a heating system valve. Initially, it was the size of a pea. When its diameter increased to 4-6 cm, it detached from the edge of the steam heater and, as it passed under a table, stopped near a nail pipe. From that small ball, sparks emitted, after which it jumped up and continued to hover for a moment under the table before exploding.
Despite its potential to cause injury and death, ball lightning seems to treat humans quite gently. In one case, ball lightning slowly floated across a yard toward a table where two children were playing. A boy kicked the ball, and it exploded. As a result, the ball lightning encircled a girl before striking the kitten sitting in her lap. The kitten died instantly, while the baby remained unharmed. A significant number of animals have been killed by ball lightning, but humans rarely suffer such tragedies.
Most ball lightning occurs almost simultaneously with a lightning bolt striking from the clouds to the ground. They appear just a few meters above the ground. When they appear without a lightning strike, they float even lower. Observations have also noted ball lightning flying high in the air and ball lightning descending from a cloud to the ground.
The mysterious phenomenon of “Ball Lightning” in nature carries quite a lot of danger
Brief Existence
Ball lightning typically has a duration of no more than 5 seconds. In rare cases, it can last over a minute.
Few people feel the heat of the temperature when observing ball lightning. However, many instances of ball lightning ignite objects or melt metals. A report by McNally in 1966 described a ball lightning striking a water jug, accompanied by a sizzling sound like that of a red-hot metal piece being dipped in water. Sometimes, they emit a sound resembling a whistle. Many people have reported strange smells, very pungent and contrasting, similar to the smell of ozone, burnt sulfur, or nitric oxide.
Ball lightning can dissipate in one of two ways: silently or with an explosion. Explosive dissipation occurs very quickly and is accompanied by a loud bang. Silent dissipation can happen quickly or slowly. After dissipation, ball lightning occasionally leaves a bit of mist or residue. It is rare to observe a ball lightning event breaking apart into two or more smaller ball lightnings.
