Mysterious nature light show

 Few atmospheric phenomena are surrounded by such an aura of mystery as ball lightning. These enigmatic luminous balls, often recorded during storms, have intrigued scientists for centuries. What are these strange discharges?

Imagine the following scenario. A storm is raging outside the window of your house, rain is hitting your windows, and thunder is shaking the ground beneath your feet. Suddenly you see it - a ball of light, sometimes the size of a grapefruit, sometimes the size of a beach ball, floating effortlessly in the air. It dances and sizzles, casting an unearthly glow and penetrates through material objects. That's what ball lightning is, a phenomenon that has fascinated and terrified people for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

Reports of ball lightning appear in historical texts, folklore and sailors' diaries. Even the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder wrote about them, although it is worth noting that the first detailed description of this phenomenon comes from the 11th century. Over the years, ball lightning has gained a reputation as a harbinger of destruction and disaster. Some accounts tell of bullets shattering through windows, starting fires and even exploding with a bang. Such incidents have contributed to the perception of ball lightning as a dangerous and unpredictable phenomenon.

Despite centuries of observations, ball lightning remains one of the least understood natural phenomena. This phenomenon has proven to be elusive for scientific research for several reasons:

1. Unpredictability: Ball lightning is known for its unpredictability. It often appears without warning during a storm and can disappear as suddenly as it materialized.

2. Short existence: These glowing orbs usually last from a few seconds to a minute, making them difficult to examine in detail.

3. Lack of Replication: Although scientists have tried to replicate ball lightning in the laboratory using electrical discharges, they have only been able to replicate certain aspects of the phenomenon. Completely reproducing the behavior of ball lightning remains elusive.

Various theories have been proposed to explain the phenomenon of ball lightning, but none of them has gained unanimous acceptance by the scientific community. Some of the most important hypotheses include:

1. Plasmoids: Ball lightning may be a form of plasma, a highly ionized state of matter. This theory suggests that electrical discharges during storms create plasmoids that take on spherical shapes.

2. Microwave ovens: In laboratory experiments, scientists have generated plasma-like phenomena resembling ball lightning using microwave ovens. This led to the idea that microwave ovens could serve as a model for understanding this phenomenon.

3. Silicon balls: Some researchers speculate that ball lightning may be associated with silicon in the Earth's crust. Lightning strikes can vaporize silicon, creating glowing silicon balls that float in the air.

Beyond scientific explanations, there are human-centered theories. Joseph Peer and Alexander Kendl from the University of Innsbruck suggested that they are merely a visual hoax. According to scientists, hallucinations are caused by the magnetic fields of certain lightning bolts acting on neurons in the visual cortex. The so-called phosphenes responsible for this phenomenon are produced when a person is closer than 100 meters from the lightning strike.

This theory contradicts the words of eyewitnesses who described ball lightning explosions during collisions with objects and even showed the consequences of such explosions. Those who were less fortunate were also severely burned when hit by such a bullet. This means that ball lightning is no less dangerous than linear lightning. Science officially recognized the existence of ball lightning only when one of such glowing balls appeared in the field of view of slitless spectrometers, which happened only in 2012. Since then, mainstream science has been investigating a number of properties of these phenomena.

Scientists are trying to understand how these lightning strikes follow an unpredictable trajectory and are not dependent on wind direction. It is also unknown what substance allows ball lightning to penetrate closed rooms. This applies not only to passing through windows or doors, but also through narrow gaps. According to many accounts, after passing, these phenomena return to a spherical shape. In some situations, ball lightning will explode when it hits objects. In others, it leaves a trace on them and even penetrates them. When colliding with a person, it most often causes burns, but sometimes wounds appear on the body, resembling wounds inflicted by a wild animal.

During a severe storm, a group of Chinese scientists led by Professor Tsen Jian Yong accidentally recorded a lightning strike that created a large glowing ball. The spectrometer showed that ball lightning contains silicon, iron and calcium, a set of elements that occur in large amounts in the soil. Based on the data obtained, researchers came to interesting conclusions. As a result of a lightning strike in the soil, some particles, including silicon and iron oxides, quickly evaporate from the soil. The resulting gas is thrown into the air by the shock wave, and may lead to the appearance of a ball.

However, not all scientists agree with this version. Vladimir Bychkov, a Russian scientist and expert in ball lightning research, noted that the Chinese did not record aluminum in the composition of lightning. In his opinion, linear lightning struck the power line next to which the incident took place. This caused a phenomenon well known to physics - arc discharge, which was recorded by Chinese scientists. His opinion is not isolated, as best evidenced by the fact that the journal Nature refused to publish the materials of Chinese researchers. The publication on this topic was finally published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

Ball lightning is a reminder that despite our progress in understanding the natural world, there are still mysteries that defy both common and scientific understanding. As long as ball lightning continues to materialize in stormy skies, it will remain an electrifying addition to the mysteries that nature holds.