DOES BALL LIGHTNING EXIST?

Behind long history the study of ball lightning by the most FAQ there were no questions about how this ball is formed or what its properties are, although these problems are quite complex. But most often the question was raised: “Does ball lightning really exist?” This persistent skepticism is largely due to the difficulties that arise when trying to experimentally study ball lightning through existing methods, as well as the absence of a theory that would give a sufficiently complete or at least a satisfactory explanation of this phenomenon.

Those who deny the existence of ball lightning explain reports of it as optical illusions or erroneous identification of other natural phenomena with it. luminous bodies. Often, cases of the possible appearance of ball lightning are attributed to meteors. In some cases, phenomena described in the literature as fireballs appear to have actually been meteors. However, meteor trails are almost invariably observed as straight lines, while the path characteristic of ball lightning, on the contrary, is most often curved. Further, ball lightning appears, with very rare exceptions, during thunderstorms, while meteors have been observed under such conditions only by chance. An ordinary lightning discharge, the direction of the channel of which coincides with the observer's line of sight, may appear to be a ball. As a result, there may be optical illusion- the dazzling light of the flash remains in the eye as an image, even when the observer changes the direction of the line of sight. That is why it has been suggested that the false image of the ball seems to be moving along a complex trajectory.

In the first detailed discussion of the Arago ball lightning problem (Dominique François Jean Arago - French physicist and astronomer who published the first in the world scientific literature detailed work on ball lightning, summarizing the 30 observations of eyewitnesses he collected, which marked the beginning of the study of this natural phenomenon) touched on this issue. In addition to a number of apparently reliable observations, he noted that an observer who sees the ball descend at a certain angle from the side cannot have an optical illusion like the one described above. Arago's arguments apparently seemed convincing enough to Faraday: while rejecting the theories according to which ball lightning is an electric discharge, he emphasized that he did not at all deny the existence of these spheres.

50 years after the publication of Arago's review of the problem of ball lightning, it was again suggested that the image of ordinary lightning moving directly towards the observer would persist for a long time, and Lord Kelvin in 1888 at a meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science argued that ball lightning - it's an optical illusion created by bright light. The fact that in many reports the same dimensions of ball lightning were given was attributed to the fact that this illusion is associated with a blind spot in the eye.

A discussion between supporters and opponents of these points of view took place at a meeting French Academy Sciences in 1890. The subject of one of the reports submitted to the Academy was the numerous luminous spheres that appeared in a tornado and resembled ball lightning. These luminous spheres flew into houses through chimneys, punched round holes in windows, and generally showed very unusual properties attributed to ball lightning. After the report, one of the members of the Academy remarked that to amazing properties ball lightning, which were discussed, should be taken critically, since observers, apparently, became victims of optical illusions. In a heated discussion that broke out, the observations made by uneducated peasants were declared not worthy of attention, after which the person present at the meeting former emperor Brazil - a foreign member of the Academy - stated that he, too, had seen ball lightning.

Many reports of natural luminous spheres were explained by the fact that observers mistakenly took the fires of St. Elma. Lights of St. An elma is a relatively frequently observed luminous region formed by a corona discharge at the end of a grounded object, say a pole. They occur when the intensity of the atmospheric electric field increases significantly, for example, during a thunderstorm. When especially strong fields who are often near mountain peaks, this form of discharge can be observed on any object that rises above the ground, and even on the hands and heads of people. However, if we consider the moving spheres as the fires of St. Elm, it must be assumed that the electric field is continuously moving from one object, which plays the role of a discharge electrode, to another similar object. The message that such a ball moved over a row of fir trees was tried to be explained by the fact that a cloud passed over these trees with a field associated with it. Proponents of this theory considered the lights of St. Elma and all other luminous balls that separated from the original place of attachment and flew through the air. Since a corona discharge necessarily requires an electrode, the separation of such balls from the grounded tip indicates that we are talking about some other phenomenon, perhaps about a different form of discharge. There are several posts about fireballs, which at first were on the tips, playing the role of electrodes, and then freely moved in the manner described above.

Others have been observed in nature luminous objects, sometimes mistaken for ball lightning. For example, the nightjar is a nocturnal insectivorous bird, to whose feathers sometimes luminous rot from the hollow in which it nests sometimes stick, flies in zigzags above the ground, swallowing insects; from a certain distance it can be mistaken for ball lightning.

The fact that ball lightning may turn out to be something else in each specific case is a very strong argument against its existence. A prominent researcher of high voltage currents once remarked that, while observing thunderstorms and taking panoramic photographs of them for many years, he had never seen ball lightning. In addition, when talking with alleged eyewitnesses of ball lightning, this researcher was always convinced that their observations could have a different and well-founded interpretation. The constant resurgence of such arguments emphasizes the importance of detailed and reliable observations of ball lightning.

Most often, the observations on which the knowledge of ball lightning is based were questioned because these mysterious balls were seen only by people who did not have any scientific training. This opinion turned out to be completely wrong. The appearance of ball lightning was observed from a distance of only a few tens of meters by a scientist, an employee of a German laboratory studying atmospheric electricity; lightning was also observed by an employee of the Tokyo Central Meteorological Observatory. Eyewitnesses of ball lightning were also a meteorologist, physicists, chemist, paleontologist, director of the meteorological observatory and several geologists. Among scientists of various specialties, ball lightning was more often seen and reported by astronomers.

In very rare cases when ball lightning appeared, the eyewitness managed to get pictures. These photographs, as well as other information relating to ball lightning, often received insufficient attention.

The collected information convinced most meteorologists of the groundlessness of their skepticism. On the other hand, there is no doubt that many scientists working in other fields hold a negative view, both because of intuitive skepticism and because of the unavailability of ball lightning data.

Ball lightning - what is it

All over the world, scientists have been showing interest in ball lightning for quite a long time. For a century and a half scientific study Dozens of conceivable and unthinkable hypotheses have been put forward to explain the nature of such a phenomenon. It is often identified with such an anomalous atmospheric phenomenon like a UFO. This is just the case when they try to explain one incomprehensibility to another ... Let's try to touch this mystery of nature and we.

It is not difficult to imagine what horror our distant ancestors could experience when they encountered such an incomprehensible and frightening phenomenon. The first mention of ball lightning in Russian archives bright to that example. 1663 - “a denunciation from priest Ivanishche” from the village of Novye Yergi came to one of the monasteries, which said: “... fire fell on the ground in many yards, and on the paths, and in the mansions, like tows of grief, and people ran from it , and he rolled after them, but did not burn anyone, and then rose up into the cloud.

In ancient times, myths and legends represented ball lightning in a variety of guises. More often, she was depicted as monsters with fiery eyes or as guarding the entrance to hell. From time to time he goes out for a walk on the surface of the earth. Meeting with him brings grief, and sometimes Cerberus leaves behind charred remains. The Serpent Gorynych, well known to everyone from fairy tales, is from this series.

On the bank of the Vakhi River (Tajikistan) there is a mysterious high mound made of rounded stones. Scientists say that he appeared at the time. But the local folklore from generation to generation conveys the legend of the fiery underground kingdom and those living there. From time to time they appear at the top of the mound, surrounded by a "black glow" and the smell of sulfur. Describe these demons always in the form of a huge dog with burning eyes.

English folklore is full of stories of "ghostly dogs spewing flames from their mouths."

There is the first documentary evidence of ball lightning since the time of the Roman Empire. Ancient manuscripts describe the events of 106 BC. e.: “Giant red crows appeared over Rome. They carried hot coals in their beaks, which fell down and set fire to houses. Half of Rome was on fire."

There is documentary evidence of this kind of phenomena in medieval France and Portugal. Magicians and alchemists, from Paracelsus to the enigmatic Doctor Thorallba, have sought to gain power over the spirits of fire.

Myths and legends that tell about fire-breathing dragons and similar evil spirits exist in almost all peoples of the world. This cannot be explained by mere ignorance. There were scientists interested in this topic. Large-scale studies were carried out, and the conclusion was quite unambiguous: many myths, fairy tales, legends are quite possibly based on real events. All this looks like evidence of some mysterious natural phenomena. The presence of glow, the ability to penetrate through material objects and explosiveness - why not "tricks" of ball lightning?

Encounters with ball lightning

A group of enthusiasts led by the Moscow electrical engineer S. Martyanov became interested in an unusual phenomenon near Pskov. In a quiet place in the Pskov region. there is the so-called Devil's meadow. In summer and autumn, according to stories local population, in those places there are so many mushrooms that even an oblique mow. However, old-timers bypass this place, and visitors will definitely be told about a strange black creature with burning eyes and a fiery mouth.

Here is how S. Martyanov described his impressions of visiting the Devil's Meadow: “It was there that a mysterious black ball rolled out of the bushes on me. I was literally stunned: flashes of fire ran across its surface. Nearby was a huge puddle of rainwater. The dark object sparkled and hissed across the puddle. A thick cloud of steam rose into the air, and a loud bang was heard. After that, the ball instantly disappeared, as if it had fallen through the ground. Only withered grass remained on the ground.

S. Martyanov tried to find a clue to this natural phenomenon. In his research group included theoretical physicist A. Anokhin. On the next visit to Devil's Meadow, several electrical appliances were taken that are capable of registering powerful electrical discharges. Sensors were placed around the clearing and began to guard. A few days later, the instrument needles flinched and went sharply to the right. In the middle of the clearing, a crimson flame flared up, which soon went out. But suddenly, “something dark gray” appeared from under the ground. The black color of the ball is by no means a curiosity, since scientists have long recorded dark-colored fireballs. Then miracles began.

The ball began to behave like an intelligent being - it went around the entire clearing in a circle, burning sensors there one by one. An expensive video camera and a tripod melted, and "something dark gray" returned to the center of the clearing and was sucked into the ground, as if into blotting paper. The expedition members were still in a state of shock for a long time. The mystery didn't stop. It is known that ball lightning most often occurs during a thunderstorm, but that day the weather was perfect.

A possible clue to this mysterious phenomenon was proposed by A. Anokhin. Scientists have long known the fact that thunderstorms also occur underground. AT different regions Earths constantly exist or unexpected faults of crystalline rocks occur earth's surface. During deformation, crystals appear electrical potentials high power and there is a piezoelectric effect. Probably, underground lightning is knocked out to the surface.

In the western part of Novosibirsk, not far from the Tokhmachevo airport and near the Krasny Prospekt metro station, fiery objects have been observed for several years. They have a diameter of several centimeters to several meters, appear at different heights, and sometimes break right out of the ground. Geologists attribute this phenomenon to the fracture of crystalline rocks.

Researchers who study ball lightning often affectionately refer to them as "balls" or "koloboks."

1902 - a curious incident occurred on the Estonian island of Saaremaa. 9-year-old Mihkel Meatlik was walking with his friends along the shore of Lake Kaali. Suddenly, before them appeared mysterious creature- a small gray ball "no more than a span in diameter", which silently rolled along the path. The boys wanted to catch him, but, forcing him to run after him, the "bun" disappeared into the roadside bushes. The search turned up nothing.

eyewitness unusual phenomenon famous Russian writer Maxim Gorky. Resting in the Caucasus with A.P. Chekhov and V.M. Vedeneev, he watched as "the ball hit the mountain, tore off a huge rock and burst with a terrible crash."

In the newspaper "Komsomolskaya Pravda" dated July 5, 1965, a note "The Fiery Guest" was printed. It contained a description of the behavior of a ball lightning with a diameter of 30 cm, observed in Armenia: “Whirling around the room, the fireball penetrated through open door to the kitchen, and then flew out the window. Fireball hit the ground in the yard and exploded. Fortunately, no one was hurt."

The mysterious properties of ball lightning can also be judged from the case of the Oryol artist V. Lomakin. 1967, July 6 - while working in his workshop, at 13.30 he saw how, right from the wall with a rustle resembling the rustle of book sheets, a creature covered with wool, with two dark brown eyes, very slowly crawls out. The length of his body was about 20 cm, some kind of wings were observed on the sides.

Having flown from the wall a little more than a meter, the creature hit the ruler with which the artist was working and disappeared. On the floor, V. Lomakin saw a ball that looked like a ball of twine. The surprised artist bent down to pick it up and throw it away, but found only a thick cloud gray color. It dissolved in a second.

1977, November 20 - at about 19.30, engineer A. Bashkis with passengers drove along the highway near Palanga in his Volga. They saw how the ball irregular shape about 20 cm in size, slowly swimming, crossed the highway. The top of the "kolobok" was black, and the edges were red-brown. The car passed over him, and the "creature" turned in the other direction and continued on its way.

1981 - retired colonel A. Bogdanov saw ball lightning over Chistoprudny Boulevard. A dark brown ball with a diameter of 25-30 cm suddenly became hot and exploded, stunning numerous passers-by.

AT city ​​near Moscow Mytishchi in March 1990, two students, returning to the hostel, encountered a mysterious dark purple ball. He slowly floated through the air, half a meter from the ground. Arriving at the hostel, they saw the same ball on the windowsill. Frightened, the girls climbed headlong under the covers, the ball at that time began to decrease in size and change color. When they ventured to look out, there was nothing.

October 9, 1993 - The Youth Newspaper of Karelia also published an article about mysterious ball. Mikhail Voloshin lived in Petrozavodsk in a private house. For some time now, a small ball with a diameter of 7 to 10 cm began to appear here, it moved absolutely silently and arbitrarily changed direction. He always disappeared suddenly, in the morning.

In the same year, a curious incident happened to M. Barentsev, a resident of Ussuriysk. On the Shlotovsky plateau near the rock, he saw small clots of fog spherical different shapes rolling on the ground. One of them suddenly began to grow, clawed paws and a mouth with bared teeth appeared from it. A sharp headache pierced M. Barentsev, and the ball took its original size and disappeared.

In the summer of the same year, engineers from St. Petersburg had a chance to encounter ball lightning. Husband and wife rested in a tent on the bank of the river. Vuoksa. A thunderstorm was approaching, and the couple decided to bring some things into the tent. And then in the middle of the trees they noticed a flying ball, behind which stretched a thick foggy plume. The object moved towards the river parallel to the bank. Then it turned out that their transistor receiver was out of order, and my husband's electronic watch was broken.

AT Western sources information, there is earlier evidence of this mysterious phenomenon. During a thunderstorm on April 14–15, 1718, three fireballs with a diameter of more than one meter were seen in Couegnon, France. In 1720, during a thunderstorm, a strange ball fell to the ground in a small French town. Rebounding, he hit stone tower and destroyed it. In 1845, in Paris, on the Rue Saint-Jacques, ball lightning entered the room of a worker through a fireplace. A gray lump randomly moved around the room, after rising up the chimney it exploded.

In the newspaper "Daily Mail" (England) dated November 5, 1936, an article about ball lightning was published. An eyewitness reported seeing a hot ball descend from the sky. He hit the house, damaging the telephone wires. A wooden window frame caught fire, and the “ball” disappeared into a barrel of water, which then began to boil.

The crew of the US Air Force KS-97 cargo plane experienced several unpleasant minutes. 1960 - at an altitude of almost 6 km, a uninvited guest. A luminous round object about a meter in size entered the cockpit of the aircraft. He flew between the crew members and just as suddenly disappeared.

Tragic Encounters with Ball Lightning

However, a meeting with ball lightning is far from always without consequences for a person.

Lomonosov's assistant, the Russian scientist G.V.

A tragic incident occurred in Tucumari, New Mexico, in 1953. Ball lightning flew into a large tank of water and exploded there. As a result, several houses were destroyed and four people died.

July 7, 1977 - two large luminous balls descended on the territory of an open cinema in Fujian province (China). Two teenagers were killed, and about 200 more people were injured in the resulting panic.

A group of Soviet climbers high in the Caucasus mountains was attacked by ball lightning. 1978, August 17 - a bright yellow luminous ball flew into the tent to the sleeping athletes. Moving around the camp, he burned sleeping bags and attacked people. The wounds were much more serious than simple burns. One climber died, the rest were seriously injured. The results of the examination of athletes baffled doctors. The muscle tissue of the victims was burned to the very bones, as if a welding machine had worked here.

1980 - in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) appearance glowing ball also led to tragedy. Several houses burned down, the ball pursued people, setting fire to their clothes.

The "Literaturnaya Gazeta" for December 21, 1983 describes an explosion of ball lightning. Worked in the mountain valley locals. A huge cloud appeared in the sky, as if glowing from within. It began to rain, and people rushed to the mulberry tree to take cover. But there was already ball lightning. She literally scattered people in different sides many lost consciousness. As a result, three people died.

What is ball lightning?

The list of tragic consequences from encounters with ball lightning can be continued, but let's better try to figure it out - what kind of ball lightning is this? Scientists have calculated that about 44,000 thunderstorms rage on Earth every day, up to 100 lightning strikes the earth every second. But these are, as a rule, ordinary linear lightning, the mechanism of which is well studied by specialists. Ordinary zippers are a variety electrical discharge, which is formed under the influence of high voltage between different parts cloud or between cloud and ground. Rapid heating of the ionized gas causes it to expand - this is sound wave i.e. thunder.

But no one has yet been able to give an unambiguous explanation of what ball lightning is. According to the researchers, the efforts of specialists in various fields of science, ranging from quantum physics and ending inorganic chemistry. At the same time, there are clear signs by which ball lightning can be separated from other natural phenomena. Description of different theoretical models ball lightning, laboratory research, thousands of photographs enable scientists to determine many parameters and characteristic properties such a phenomenon.

1. First, why are they called ball? The vast majority of eyewitnesses say they saw the ball. However, there are other forms - a mushroom, a pear, a drop, a torus, a lens, or simply shapeless foggy clots.

2. The color scheme is very diverse - lightning can be yellow, orange, red, white, bluish, green, from gray to black. By the way, there is a lot of documentary evidence that it can be of a non-uniform color or is able to change it.

3. The most typical size of ball lightning is from 10 to 20 cm. Less common are sizes from 3 to 10 cm and from 20 to 35 cm.

4. The opinions of experts differ on the account of temperature. The most commonly mentioned is 100-1000 degrees Celsius. Lightning can melt glass by flying through a window.

5. Energy density is the amount of energy per unit volume. Ball lightning has a record. Those catastrophic consequences that we sometimes observe make it impossible to doubt this.

6. Intensity and glow time vary from a few seconds to several minutes. Ball lightning can shine like a normal 100 watt light bulb, but sometimes it can be blinding.

7. It is widely believed that ball lightning floats, slowly rotating, at a speed of 2-10 m/sec. It will not be difficult for her to catch up with a running person.

8. As a rule, lightning ends its visits with an explosion, sometimes it breaks into several parts or simply fades away.

9. The most difficult thing to explain is the behavior of ball lightning. She is not stopped by obstacles, she loves to enter houses through windows, vents and other openings. There is evidence of its passage through the walls of houses, trees and stones.

It is noticed that she is not indifferent to sockets, switches, contacts. Once in water, ball lightning can quickly bring it to a boil. Moreover, the balls burn through and melt everything that can meet on their way. But there were also amazing cases, when the lightning burned the linen, leaving outerwear. She shaved off all the hair from a person, pulled out metal objects from her hands. The man himself was thrown over long distances.

There was a case when ball lightning melted all the coins in the wallet into a common ingot without damaging the paper money. Being an intense source of electromagnetic microwave radiation, it is able to disable telephones, televisions, radios and other devices where there are coils and transformers. Sometimes he does unique "tricks" - when meeting with ball lightning, rings disappeared from people's fingers. Low-frequency radiation has a bad effect on the human psyche, hallucinations, headaches, and a feeling of fear appear. We spoke about tragic encounters with ball lightning above.

The occurrence of ball lightning

Consider the most characteristic hypotheses for the emergence of this mysterious natural phenomenon. True, it should immediately be noted that the stumbling block is the lack of a reliable method for the reproducible production of ball lightning under controlled laboratory conditions. Experiments do not give unambiguous results. Researchers studying this “something” cannot claim that they are studying ball lightning itself.

The most common were chemical models, now they have been replaced by "plasma theories", according to which the energy of tectonic stresses of the earth's interior can be released not only through earthquakes, but also in the form of electrical discharges, electromagnetic radiation, linear and ball lightning, as well as plasmoids - bunches of concentrated energy. German physicist A. Meissner is an adherent of the theory, according to which ball lightning is a ball of hot plasma, madly rotating due to some initial impulse given to the clot by linear lightning.

The famous Soviet electrical engineer G. Babat during the Great Patriotic War conducted experiments on high-frequency currents and unexpectedly reproduced ball lightning. Thus, another hypothesis was born. Its essence is that centripetal forces, seeking to tear the fireball to pieces, are opposed by appearing on high speed rotation of the attractive force between the separated charges. But even this hypothesis is not able to explain the duration of the existence of ball lightning and its tremendous energy.

Academician P. Kapitsa did not remain aloof from this problem either. He believes that ball lightning is a three-dimensional oscillatory circuit. Lightning picks up radio waves that are generated when lightning discharges, that is, it receives energy from the outside.

supporter chemical model ball lightning was still Francois Arago. He believed that when an ordinary linear lightning is discharged, burning balls of gas or some explosive mixtures appear.

The well-known Soviet theoretical physicist Ya. Frenkel believed that ball lightning is a formation caused by the creation of gaseous chemical gases during an ordinary lightning strike. active substances. They burn in the presence of catalysts in the form of smoke and dust particles. But science does not know substances with such a colossal calorific value.

Employee of the Research Institute of Mechanics of the Moscow state university B. Parfenov believes that ball lightning is a toroidal current sheath and an annular magnetic field. When they interact, air is pumped out of the internal cavity of the ball. If electromagnetic forces tend to break the ball, then air pressure, on the contrary, tries to crush it. If these forces are balanced, then ball lightning will become stable.

From pure scientific hypotheses, which remain so, let's move on to more accessible, and sometimes naive versions.

A supporter of a rather original assumption about the occurrence of ball lightning is the researcher anomalous phenomena Vincent X. Gaddis. He believes that, on Earth, for a long time, in parallel with the protein form of life, there is another one. The nature of this life (let's call it elementals) is similar to the nature of fireballs. Fire elementals are creatures of alien origin, and their behavior speaks of a certain intelligence. If desired, they can take a variety of forms.

Physicochemist from Maryland David Turner devoted several years to the study of ball lightning. He suggested that such supernatural phenomena, as well as , are associated with ball lightning. These mysteries are based on similar electrical and chemical processes. But in laboratory conditions, this assumption has not yet been confirmed.

Attempts have long been made to link the UFO phenomenon to ball lightning. However, all of them turned out to be untenable - the sizes, duration of existence, forms and energy saturation of these two phenomena are too different.

There are more supporters original versions origin of ball lightning. In their opinion, they are just ... an optical illusion. Its essence lies in the fact that during a strong flash of linear lightning due to photochemical processes on the retina human eye leaves an imprint in the form of a stain. Vision can last for 2-10 seconds. The failure of this hypothesis is refuted by hundreds of real photographs of ball lightning.

We have considered only some hypotheses and theories concerning such a mysterious phenomenon as ball lightning. You can accept them or not, agree with them or reject them, but none of them has yet been able to fully explain the mystery of strange "koloboks", and therefore tell a person how he should behave when he encounters this natural phenomenon.

Fireball. This is mysterious phenomenon nature is still very little studied. There are many cases when this clot of crushing energy enters our homes. It penetrates the room through the slightest cracks, chimneys and even through smooth glass. Ball lightning is a fleeting phenomenon, but sometimes it can be observed for 20 seconds.

Ball lightning is considered special kind lightning, which is a luminous fireball floating through the air (sometimes it looks like a mushroom, drop or pear).

Getting into the apartment, ball lightning behaves differently: it either goes out, or "splashes" with a crash. Its sizes vary. The most common lightning is about 15 cm in size. But there are times when it reaches 1 meter or more in diameter. In contact with a person, in general, the matter ends tragically. But in rare cases this does not happen. Not so long ago, such a contact happened in China: surprisingly, having hit the same person 2 times, she did not kill him (the incident was shown on TV).

A case of such a meeting with ball lightning is described: in Zimbabwe (Africa), a young woman escaped with such contact with only the loss of her dress and hairstyle. In Pyatigorsk, a roofing worker burned his hands while trying to brush off a small ball that seemed to be hovering over him. I had to be treated for a long time, because such burns do not heal for a long time. But there are many more cases that end tragically. In the summer there was a case when a still not old man was killed, who was grazing public cattle in the pasture. Ball lightning destroyed him along with his horse.

There have been instances where aircraft encounter these fireballs. But the death of the aircraft or the crew has not yet been recorded (only minor damage to the skin was noted).

What does ball lightning look like?

Ball lightnings come in different shapes: round, oval, conical, etc. The color of lightning also has a full range of colors. There are red with different shades, green, orange, white. Some types of lightning have a luminous "tail". What is this natural phenomenon? Scientists say that ball lightning is a clot of plasma, the temperature of which can be 30,000,000 degrees. This is higher than the solar temperature at its center.

Why does this happen, what is its nature of occurrence. Observations of the appearance of these "balls" from nowhere were noted - on a sunny clear day, mysterious orange balls moved close to the surface, in a place where there were no high-voltage wires and other types of energy sources. Maybe they arise deep in the bowels of our planet, maybe in its faults. In general, this mysterious phenomenon has not yet been studied by anyone. Our scientists know more about the origin of stars than about what goes on under their noses from age to age.

Types of ball lightning

Based on eyewitness accounts, two main types of ball lightning are distinguished:

1. The first is a red fireball descending from a cloud. When such a heavenly gift touches some object on earth, such as a tree, it explodes. Interesting: ball lightning can be as large as soccer ball, she knows how to hiss and buzz menacingly.
2. Another type of ball lightning travels along the earth's surface for a long time and glows with a bright white light. The ball is attracted to good conductors of electricity and can touch anything - the ground, a power line, or a person.

Time of existence of ball lightning

Ball lightning exists from a few seconds to several minutes. Why is it so?

One theory claims that the ball is a small copy of a thundercloud. Here's how it might happen. The smallest dust particles are constantly in the air. Lightning can tell electric charge dust particles in certain area air. Some dust particles are positively charged, others are negatively charged. In a further light representation lasting up to many seconds, millions of small lightnings connect oppositely charged dust particles, creating in the air the image of a sparkling fireball - ball lightning.

Ball lightning - unique a natural phenomenon: nature of occurrence; physical properties; characteristic

To date, the only and main problem in the study of this phenomenon is the inability to recreate such lightning in scientific laboratories.

Therefore, most of the assumptions about physical nature spherical electric bunch in the atmosphere and remain theoretical.

The first to suggest the nature of ball lightning was the Russian physicist Pyotr Leonidovich Kapitsa. According to his teachings, this type of lightning occurs during a discharge between thunderclouds and the earth on the electromagnetic axis along which it drifts.

In addition to Kapitsa, a number of physicists put forward theories about the sound and frame structure of the discharge or about the ionic origin of ball lightning.

Many skeptics have argued that this is just a visual illusion or short-term hallucinations, and such a natural phenomenon does not exist. Currently modern equipment and the equipment has not yet recorded the radio waves necessary to create lightning.

How ball lightning is formed

It is formed, as a rule, during a strong thunderstorm, however, it has been noticed more than once in sunny weather. Ball lightning occurs suddenly and in a single case. It can appear from clouds, from trees or other objects and buildings. Ball lightning easily overcomes obstacles in its path, including falling into confined spaces. Cases are described when this type of lightning arose from a TV, aircraft cockpit, sockets, indoors ... At the same time, it can bypass objects in its path, passing through them.

Repeatedly, the occurrence of an electric clot was recorded in the same places. The process of movement or migration of lightning occurs mainly horizontally and at a height of about a meter above the ground. There is also a sound accompaniment in the form of a crunch, crackle and squeak, which leads to interference in the radio.

According to the descriptions of eyewitnesses of this phenomenon, two types of lightning are distinguished:

Characteristics

The origin of such lightning is still unknown. There are versions that an electric discharge occurs either on the surface of lightning, or comes out of the total volume.

Scientists do not yet know physical and chemical composition, thanks to which such a phenomenon of nature can easily overcome doorways, windows, small gaps, and again acquire its original size and shape. In this regard, hypothetical assumptions were put forward about the structure of the gas, but such a gas, according to the laws of physics, would have to fly into the air under the influence of internal heat.

• The size of ball lightning is usually 10 - 20 centimeters.
• The color of the glow, as a rule, can be blue, white or orange. However, witnesses of this phenomenon report that a permanent color was not observed and it always changed.
• The shape of ball lightning is in most cases spherical.
• The duration of existence was estimated to be no more than 30 seconds.
• The temperature has not been fully investigated, but according to experts, it is up to 1000 degrees Celsius.

Without knowing the nature of the origin of this natural phenomenon, it is difficult to make assumptions about how ball lightning moves. According to one theory, the movement of this form of electric discharge can occur due to the force of the wind, the action electromagnetic oscillations Or the force of attraction.

Why ball lightning is dangerous

Despite the many different hypotheses about the nature of the occurrence and characteristics of this natural phenomenon, it must be taken into account that interaction with ball lightning is extremely dangerous, since a ball filled with a large discharge can not only injure, but also kill. An explosion can lead to tragic consequences.

• The first rule to follow when meeting with fireball- this is not to panic, not to run, not to make quick and abrupt movements.
• It is necessary to slowly leave the trajectory of the ball, while keeping a distance from it and not turn your back.
• When ball lightning appears in a closed room, the first thing to do is to try to carefully open the window in order to create a draft.
• In addition to the above rules, it is strictly forbidden to throw any objects into the plasma ball, as this can lead to a fatal explosion.

So in the Lugansk region, lightning the size of a golf ball killed a driver, and in Pyatigorsk, a man, trying to brush off a luminous ball, received severe burns on his hands. In Buryatia, lightning descended through the roof and exploded in the house. The explosion was so strong that the windows and doors were knocked out, the walls were damaged, and the owners of the household were injured and received a shell shock.

Video: 10 Facts about ball lightning

This video presents to your attention the facts about the most mysterious and amazing natural phenomenon.

One of the most amazing and hazardous phenomena nature is ball lightning. How to behave and what to do when meeting with her, you will learn from this article.

What is ball lightning

Surprisingly, but modern science finds it difficult to answer this question. Unfortunately, no one has yet been able to analyze this natural phenomenon using accurate scientific instruments. All attempts by scientists to recreate it in the laboratory have also failed. Despite a lot of historical data and eyewitness accounts, some researchers even deny the very existence of this phenomenon.

Those who were lucky enough to stay alive after meeting with an electric ball, give conflicting testimonies. They claim to have seen a sphere 10 to 20 cm in diameter, but describe it differently. According to one version, ball lightning is almost transparent, the contours of surrounding objects can even be guessed through it. According to another, its color varies from white to red. Someone says that they felt the heat emanating from the lightning. Others did not notice any warmth from her, even being in close proximity.

Chinese scientists were lucky to detect ball lightning using spectrometers. Although this moment lasted one and a half seconds, the researchers were able to conclude that it was different from ordinary lightning.

Where does ball lightning appear?

How to behave when meeting with her, because a fireball can appear anywhere. The circumstances of its formation are very different and it is difficult to find a definite pattern. Most people think that you can only meet lightning during or after a thunderstorm. However, there is a lot of evidence that it also appeared in dry, cloudless weather. It is also impossible to predict the place where an electric ball may form. There were cases when it arose from a voltage network, a tree trunk, and even from a wall of an apartment building. Eyewitnesses saw how lightning appeared on its own, met it on open area and indoors. Also, the literature describes cases when, after a normal strike, ball lightning occurred.

How to behave

If you are "lucky enough" to encounter a fireball in an open area, you must adhere to the basic rules of behavior in this extreme situation.

• Try to move away slowly dangerous place over a considerable distance. Don't turn your back on the lightning and don't try to run away from it.
• If she is close and moving towards you, freeze, stretch your arms forward and hold your breath. After a few seconds or minutes, the ball will circle around you and disappear.
• In no case do not throw any objects at it, as if it collides with something, the lightning explodes.

Ball lightning: how to escape if it appeared in the house?

This plot is the most terrible, since an unprepared person can panic and commit fatal error. remember, that electric sphere responds to any movement of air. Therefore, the most universal advice is to remain still and calm. What else can be done if ball lightning has flown into the apartment?

• What to do if she was near your face? Blow on the ball and it will fly off to the side.
• Do not touch iron objects.
• Freeze, do not make sudden movements and do not try to escape.
• If there is an entrance to an adjacent room nearby, then try to hide in it. But do not turn your back on the lightning and try to move as slowly as possible.
• Do not try to drive it away with any object, otherwise you risk provoking strong explosion. In this case, you face such serious consequences as cardiac arrest, burns, injuries and loss of consciousness.

How to help the victim

Remember that lightning can cause very serious injury or even take life. If you see that a person is injured by her blow, then urgently take action - move him to another place and do not be afraid, since there will no longer be a charge in his body. Put him on the floor, wrap him up and call an ambulance. In case of cardiac arrest, give him artificial respiration until the arrival of doctors. If the person was not badly hurt, put a wet towel on his head, give two analgin tablets and soothing drops.

How to save yourself

How to protect yourself from ball lightning? First of all, you need to take steps that will keep you safe during a normal thunderstorm. Remember that in most cases people suffer from electric shock while in nature or in the countryside.

• How to escape from ball lightning in the forest? Don't hide under lonely trees. Try to find a low grove or undergrowth. Remember that lightning rarely strikes coniferous trees and birch.
• Do not hold metal objects (forks, shovels, guns, fishing rods and umbrellas) above your head.
• Do not hide in a haystack and do not lie down on the ground - better squat down.
• If a thunderstorm caught you in the car, stop and do not touch metal objects. Don't forget to lower your antenna and drive away from tall trees. Stop at the curb and do not enter the gas station.
• Remember that quite often the storm is coming against the wind. Ball lightning moves in exactly the same way.
• How to behave in the house and should you worry if you are under a roof? Unfortunately, a lightning rod and other devices are not able to help you.
• If you are in the steppe, then squat down, try not to rise above the surrounding objects. You can take cover in a ditch, but leave it as soon as it starts to fill with water.
• If you are sailing in a boat, then in no case do not get up. Try to get to the shore as quickly as possible and move away from the water to a safe distance.

• Take off your jewelry and put it away.
• Turn off your cell phone. If it works, then ball lightning can be attracted to the signal.
• How to escape from a thunderstorm if you are in the country? Close windows and chimney. It is not yet known whether glass is a barrier to lightning. However, it has been observed that it easily seeps into any slots, sockets or electrical appliances.
• If you are at home, then close the windows and turn off electrical appliances, do not touch anything metal. Try to stay away from outlets. Do not make phone calls and turn off all external antennas.