Ball lightning as a natural phenomenon. Ball lightning - a challenge to the scientific world

There are more than 400 hypotheses explaining its occurrence

They always appear suddenly. Most scientists involved in their study have never seen the subject of their research with their own eyes. Experts have been arguing for centuries, but have never reproduced this phenomenon in the laboratory. However, no one puts him on a par with a UFO, Chupacabra or poltergeist. It's about about ball lightning.

Scientists propose to concentrate efforts to search for a signal from extraterrestrial civilizations in the transit zone Scientists from Germany insist on narrowing the search area potentially habitable planets. Rene Hellery and Ralph Pudritz spoke about this in an interview with Astrobiology magazine. According to them, there are currently several methods for searching for exoplanets - planets that orbit other stars. The main one is the so-called transit method, the essence of which is that astronomers observe a decrease in the brightness of a star when a planet passes between an observer from Earth and the star.

DOSSIER ON THE HELL BALL

As a rule, the appearance of ball lightning is associated with strong thunderstorms. The overwhelming number of eyewitnesses describe the object as a ball with a volume of about 1 cubic meter. dm. However, if you analyze the testimonies of airplane pilots, they often mention giant balls. Sometimes eyewitnesses describe a ribbon-like "tail" or even several "tentacles". The surface of the object most often glows evenly, sometimes pulsates, but there are rare observations of dark ball lightning. Occasionally, bright rays are mentioned escaping from the inside of the ball. The color of the surface glow can be very different. It can also change over time.

An encounter with this mysterious phenomenon is very dangerous: many cases of burns and deaths from contact with ball lightning have been recorded.

VERSIONS: GAS DISCHARGE AND PLASMA CLUTCH

Attempts to unravel the phenomenon have been made for a long time.

Back in the 18th century. The outstanding French scientist Dominique François Arago published the first, very detailed work on ball lightning. In it, Arago summarized about 30 observations and thus laid the foundation for the scientific study of the phenomenon.

Of the hundreds of hypotheses, until recently, two looked most likely.

GAS DISCHARGE. In 1955, Pyotr Leonidovich Kapitsa presented a report “On the nature of ball lightning.” In that work, he tries to explain both the very birth of ball lightning and many of its unusual features by the emergence of short-wave electromagnetic oscillations between thunderclouds and earth's surface. The scientist believed that ball lightning is gas discharge, moving along power lines standing electromagnetic
waves between clouds and ground. It doesn’t sound too clear, but we are dealing with a very complex physical phenomenon. However, even such a genius as Kapitsa could not explain the nature of the short-wave oscillations that provoke the appearance of the “hell ball”. The scientist’s assumption formed the basis of a whole trend that continues to develop to this day.

PLASMA CLUTCH. According to the outstanding scientist Igor Stakhanov (he was called “the physicist who knows everything about ball lightning”), we are dealing with a bunch of ions. Stakhanov's theory agreed well with eyewitness accounts and explained both the shape of lightning and its ability to penetrate holes, re-taking its original form. However, experiments to create a man-made bunch of ions were unsuccessful.

ANTIMATTER. The above hypotheses are quite working, and research continues on their basis. However, it is worth giving examples of more daring flights of thought. So, American astronaut Jeffrey Shears Ashby suggested that ball lightning is born during the annihilation (mutual destruction with the release of a huge amount of energy) of antimatter particles that enter the atmosphere from space.

CREATE LIGHTNING

Create ball lightning in laboratory conditions- old and not yet fully dream come true many scientists.

TESLA'S EXPERIMENTS. The first attempts in this direction were made by the brilliant Nikola Tesla at the beginning of the 20th century. Unfortunately, there are no reliable descriptions of either the experiments themselves or the results obtained. In his work notes there is information that, under certain conditions, he managed to “ignite” a gas discharge that looked like a luminous spherical ball. Tesla allegedly could hold these mysterious balls in his hands and even throw them around. However, Tesla’s activities have always been shrouded in mystery and riddles. So it’s impossible to understand where truth and fiction are in the story about hand-held ball lightning.

WHITE CLUTTS. At the US Air Force Academy (Colorado) in 2013, it was possible to create bright balls by exposing them to powerful electrical discharges for a special solution. Strange objects were able to survive for almost half a second. Scientists have cautiously chosen to call them plasmoids rather than ball lightning. But they expect that the experiment will bring them closer to the solution.

Plasmoid. Bright white ball existed for only half a second.

AN UNEXPECTED EXPLANATION

At the end of the 20th century. appeared new method diagnostics and treatment - transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). The idea is that by exposing an area of the brain to a focused strong magnetic field, you can make nerve cells(neurons) react as if they received a signal through nervous system.

This can cause hallucinations in the form of fiery disks. By shifting the point of influence on the brain, you can make the disk move (as perceived by the test subject). Austrian scientists Joseph Peer and Alexander Kendl suggested that during thunderstorms powerful magnetic fields that provoke such visions. Yes, this is a unique set of circumstances, but ball lightning is rarely seen. Scientists note that there is more chances, if a person is in a building, an airplane (statistics confirm this). The hypothesis can only explain part of the observations: encounters with lightning that resulted in burns and deaths remain unsolved.

FIVE BRIGHT CASES

Reports of encounters with ball lightning come in constantly. In Ukraine, one of the latest took place last summer: such a “hellish ball” flew into the premises of the Dibrovsky village council in the Kirovograd region. No people were touched, but all the office equipment was burned. In science and popular science literature, a certain set of the most famous collisions between man and ball lightning has been formed.

1638. During an autumn thunderstorm in the village of Widecombe Moor in England, a ball with a diameter of more than 2 m flew into the church. According to eyewitnesses, lightning broke benches, broke windows and filled the church with smoke that smelled of sulfur. In this case, four people died. The “culprits” were soon found - they were declared to be two peasants who allowed themselves to play cards during the sermon.

1753. Georg Richmann, member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, conducts research atmospheric electricity. Suddenly a bluish-orange ball appears and hits the scientist in the face with a crash. The scientist is killed, his assistant is stunned. A small purple spot was found on Richman's forehead, his jacket was burned, and his shoes were torn. The story is familiar to everyone who studied at Soviet time: Not a single physics textbook of that time was complete without a description of Richmann’s death.

1944. In Uppsala (Sweden), ball lightning passed through a window glass (a hole with a diameter of about 5 cm was left at the site of penetration). The phenomenon was observed not only by people who were on the spot: the tracking system also worked lightning discharges local university.

1978. A group of Soviet climbers stopped for the night in the mountains. A bright yellow ball the size of a tennis ball suddenly appeared in the tightly buttoned tent. It crackled and moved chaotically in space. One climber died from touching the ball. The rest received multiple burns. The case became known after publication in the magazine "Technology - Youth". Now not a single forum for fans of UFOs, the Dyatlov Pass, etc. can do without mentioning that story.

2012. Incredible luck: in Tibet, ball lightning falls into the field of view of spectrometers, with the help of which Chinese scientists studied ordinary lightning. The devices managed to record a glow of 1.64 seconds in length. and obtain detailed spectra. Unlike the spectrum of ordinary lightning (there are nitrogen lines there), the spectrum of ball lightning contains many lines of iron, silicon and calcium - the main chemical elements soil. Some of the theories of the origin of ball lightning have received significant arguments in their favor.

Mystery. This is how an encounter with ball lightning was depicted in the 19th century.

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

What is ball lightning

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

Those lucky enough to survive an encounter with an electric ball give conflicting testimony. 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 seen through it. According to another, its color varies from white to red. Someone says that they felt the heat coming from the lightning. Others did not notice any warmth from her, even when in close proximity.

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

Where does ball lightning appear?

How to behave when meeting her, because a fireball can appear anywhere. The circumstances of its formation vary greatly and it is difficult to find a definite pattern. Most people think that lightning can only be encountered during or after a thunderstorm. However, there is a lot of evidence that it appeared in dry, cloudless weather. It is also impossible to predict the location where the electric ball may form. There have been cases when it arose from a voltage network, a tree trunk, and even from the wall of a residential building. Eyewitnesses saw lightning appear on its own, encountered it in open areas and indoors. Also in the literature, cases are described when ball lightning occurred after an ordinary strike.

How to behave

If you are lucky enough to meet fireball in open areas, you must adhere to the basic rules of behavior in this extreme situation.

Try to slowly move away from dangerous place over a considerable distance. Don't turn your back on lightning or try to run away from it.
If she is close and moving towards you, freeze, extend your arms forward and hold your breath. After a few seconds or minutes, the ball will go around you and disappear.
Never throw any objects at it, as lightning will explode if it hits anything.

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

This plot is the most scary because unprepared person may panic and commit fatal error. Remember that the electric sphere reacts to any air movement. Therefore, the most universal advice is to remain still and calm. What else can you do if ball lightning has flown into your apartment?

What to do if it ends up near your face? Blow on the ball and it will fly away.
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 take refuge in it. But don't 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 causing a large 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 death. If you see that a person is wounded by her blow, then urgently take action - move him to another place and do not be afraid, since there will be no charge left in his body. Lay him on the floor, wrap him up and call an ambulance. In case of cardiac arrest, give him artificial respiration until doctors arrive. If the person is not seriously injured, put a wet towel on his head, give him two analgin tablets and soothing drops.

How to protect yourself

How to protect yourself from ball lightning? The first step is to take steps to keep you safe during a normal thunderstorm. Remember that in most cases people suffer from electric shock while being outdoors 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 underbrush. Remember that lightning rarely strikes coniferous trees and birch.
Do not hold metal objects (forks, shovels, guns, fishing rods and umbrellas) above your head.
Don't hide in a haystack or lie down on the ground - it's better to squat down.
If a thunderstorm catches you in your car, stop and do not touch metal objects. Don't forget to lower the antenna and drive away from tall trees. Pull to the side of the road and avoid entering a gas station.
Remember that quite often a thunderstorm goes 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 shelter in a ditch, but leave it as soon as it begins to fill with water.
If you are sailing in a boat, do not stand up under any circumstances. Try to get to the shore as quickly as possible and move away from the water to a safe distance.

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

“So, today the topic of our lecture is electrical phenomena in nature". With these words the next pair of physics began. She didn’t foretell anything interesting, but I was very mistaken. I haven’t heard so many new things for a long time. Then the topic of ball lightning struck me.

It was mentioned in passing, so I decided to deal with it myself. After reading more than one book and many articles on the Internet, this is what I found out. It turns out that until now no one can say exactly where it comes from and what it is. Ball lightning is one of the most mysterious natural phenomena. And this is in our time! Stories about observing ball lightning have been known for two thousand years.

The first mention of it dates back to the 6th century: Bishop Gregory of Tours wrote then about the appearance of a fireball during the consecration ceremony of the chapel. But the first who tried to investigate reports of ball lightning was the Frenchman F. Arago. And this happened only 150 years ago. In his book, he described 30 cases of observing ball lightning. This is not much, and it is quite natural that many physicists of the century before last, including Kelvin and Faraday, believed that this was either optical illusion, or a phenomenon of non-electrical nature. But since then, the quantity and quality of messages has increased significantly. To date, about 10,000 sightings of ball lightning have been documented.

Ball lightning is a unique and peculiar phenomenon. But scientists still cannot please us with great achievements in the field of research of these objects. How is ball lightning formed? There are a huge number of theories about the origin and “life” of ball lightning. It has not yet been possible to synthesize ball lightning. Summarizing a large number of evidence, it is possible to create an average “portrait” of ball lightning. Most often it takes the form of a ball, and sometimes a pear, a mushroom or a drop, or something as exotic as a donut or a lens. Its size varies: from a few centimeters to a whole meter. The “lifetime” also extends over a very wide range - from several seconds to tens of minutes. At the end of this phenomenon's existence, an explosion usually occurs. Occasionally, ball lightning may break up into separate parts or simply fade away slowly. It moves at a speed of 0.5-1 meter per second. The variety of colors is simply amazing: from transparent to black, but shades of yellow, orange, blue and red are still in the lead. The color can be uneven, and sometimes ball lightning changes it like a chameleon.

The most difficult thing is to determine the temperature and mass of ball lightning. According to scientists, the temperature can range from 100 to 1000? But at the same time, people who encountered ball lightning at arm's length rarely noticed any heat emanating from them, although, logically, they should have received burns. The same mystery is with mass: no matter what size the lightning is, it weighs no more than 5-7 grams. As for the direction of movement, most often ball lightning moves horizontally, approximately a meter above the ground, and can make chaotic movements along the way. Sometimes she may stop when passing by a house and carefully enter the house. Ball lightning can enter a room not only through open window or a door. Sometimes, it becomes deformed and leaks into narrow gaps or even passes through glass without leaving any traces in it. Interestingly, it can cause radio interference. There are often cases when observed ball lightning carefully flies around objects on its way until it reaches a very specific and only known object.

To summarize all of the above, I would like to say that using the example of ball lightning, a person can once again be convinced of how many secrets and mysteries nature hides within itself, and a person would be a complete fool if he said that he had studied everything completely. Well, at least not at this stage of scientific development. This is not all that I learned about this natural phenomenon, but perhaps everything else can wait until next time!

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

What is ball lightning

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

Where does ball lightning appear?

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 slowly move away from the dangerous place to a considerable distance. Don't turn your back on lightning or try to run away from it.
If she is close and moving towards you, freeze, extend your arms forward and hold your breath. After a few seconds or minutes, the ball will go around you and disappear.
Never throw any objects at it, as lightning will explode if it hits anything.

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

This plot is the most scary, as an unprepared person can panic and make a fatal mistake. Remember that the electric sphere reacts to any air movement. Therefore, the most universal advice is to remain still and calm. What else can you do if ball lightning has flown into your apartment?

What to do if it ends up near your face? Blow on the ball and it will fly away.
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 take refuge in it. But don't 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 causing a large explosion. In this case, you face such serious consequences as cardiac arrest, burns, injuries and loss of consciousness.

How to help the victim

How to protect yourself

How to escape from ball lightning in the forest? Don't hide under lonely trees. Try to find a low grove or underbrush. Remember that lightning rarely strikes coniferous trees and birch.
Do not hold metal objects (forks, shovels, guns, fishing rods and umbrellas) above your head.
Don't hide in a haystack or lie down on the ground - it's better to squat down.
If a thunderstorm catches you in your car, stop and do not touch metal objects. Remember to lower your antenna and drive away from tall trees. Pull to the side of the road and avoid entering a gas station.
Remember that quite often a thunderstorm goes 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 shelter in a ditch, but leave it as soon as it begins to fill with water.
If you are sailing in a boat, do not stand up under any circumstances. Try to get to the shore as quickly as possible and move away from the water to a safe distance.

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

Everyone knows how to behave during a severe thunderstorm, and almost no one is afraid of ordinary lightning. But have you ever encountered ball lightning? What is this phenomenon? How dangerous are they?

Appearance

Ball lightning appears before us in in different forms, however, it is always quite easy to recognize it. Most often in nature, ball lightning occurs in the form of a luminous ball. But it happens that they take the form of a mushroom, a pear, or a drop. There were also exotic ball lightnings that took the shape of a donut or pancake.

The color range of ball lightning is striking in its diversity: from black to transparent, but bright, saturated orange, yellow and red colors are still in the lead. Moreover, sometimes it is difficult to guess the color of ball lightning because it changes it like a chameleon.

Their sizes can also be completely different - from a few centimeters to several meters. But most often you can see plasma balls with a diameter of about 20 cm.

Scientists say that the temperature can be from 100 to 1000 degrees. The mystery of the phenomenon is that, being close to the lightning at arm's length, people did not feel any heat emanating from the lightning, although, logically, they should have received burns.

Behavior

The behavior of ball lightning does not lend itself to any scientific justification. They inexplicably seep through sockets in houses, make their way through the slightest cracks, while changing their shape, depending on the size of the crack. It is impossible to predict the path of ball lightning.

They can calmly hang in one place a few meters from the ground, or they can rush somewhere at a speed of 10 m/s. When near an animal or person, they can circle around curiously and not cause any harm, or they can attack and burn to death.

Another interesting fact– the bodies of people killed by ball lightning are still very for a long time do not decompose, and no traces are found on them. Some scientists believe that lightning stops time in the body.

Scientific and pseudo-scientific justifications

In science, there are a huge number of hypotheses about the origin and activity of ball lightning. In laboratories it is possible to create objects similar to them - plasmoids. But no one has yet been able to give a logical explanation for this phenomenon.

Previously it was believed that mandatory conditions For the occurrence of ball lightning is rainy weather and the presence of ordinary linear lightning. Some scientists explain the appearance of lightning by the fact that during a thunderstorm, short-wavelength waves appear between the clouds and the surface of the earth. electromagnetic vibrations. However, when ball lightning began to appear even in sunny, dry weather, this assumption was dispelled.

Of interest is the theory developed by New Zealand scientists. They conducted an experiment and found that when ordinary lightning strikes soil that contains silicates and organic carbon, is formed into a ball of silicon fibers and silicon carbide. When these fibers oxidize, the ball begins to glow and heat up. But so far this theory has not found its final confirmation.

Absence scientific justification The appearance of ball lightning gives impetus to the development of pseudo-scientific theories.

So, there are an incredible variety of fictions and guesses about ball lightning. Someone is counting them special devices designed to monitor life on Earth. Some people claim that lightning is an extraterrestrial being.

Tips: what to do when encountering ball lightning.

1. The main rule: when you detect ball lightning, do not make sudden movements. The air flow can pull it along with it, so don't run! You can still escape from ball lightning by car, but not on your own.

2. Do not turn your back on lightning, try to get out of its path and stay as far away from it as possible.

3. While in the apartment, open the window. As a rule, it will fly out.

4. You cannot throw anything at ball lightning, it can explode like a bomb, and then burns are inevitable.

5. If lightning does hit a person who subsequently loses consciousness, it is necessary to take him out into the air, wrap him in a blanket and immediately perform artificial respiration before the ambulance arrives.

Remember that in daily life Devices for removing ball lightning have not yet been introduced, so be careful and follow safety rules.