Ball Lightning

      Everyone knows that thunderstorms are almost always accompanied by lightning strikes. However, ball lightning is a much rarer phenomenon associated with thunderstorms. It basically a sphere, disk, rod or oval (and many other shapes) of radiating flames or sparks, 'usually' with a diameter of 10-20cm. It usually appears at the same time as normal lightning, moves unpredictably for upto a minute and then disappears. But, there is a catch- ball lightning can ALSO appear when there isn't a storm for miles around!!

      

                                              
                                                    Natural Ball Lightning, Netherlands

      Some reports claim that the ball lightning moves even through closed doors and windows, either harmlessly or melting the material. It even appears inside aircraft. Sometimes, it moves along metal wires and is attracted to metal objects as electricity would be. The lightning disappears with a pop or a great explosion, or even silently, leaving behind an odour of sulphur.

                                                                                             
Researches have been able to produce similar conditions in laboratories, mostly using microwaves.

Ball lightning could be the source of many mythological legends involving luminous balls. Science has not been able to pinpoint the EXACT reason behind them or their composition, but there are a number of interesting hypotheses.

• Some effects of ball lightning imply extremely high density. So, it is suggested that the phenomenon could be caused by microscopic black holes moving through the earth's atmosphere.
• It could be caused by the condensation of high energy atoms due to normal lightning. This is called the Rydberg Matter Concept.
• Another possible explanation is antimatter meteors being destroyed by atmospheric molecules.

Some have actually attributed this phenomenon to tricks of our own brains! They say that the occurence of multiple lightning strikes at a place produce rapidly changing magnetic fields that can excite the neurons of the brain. This may cause visual hallucinations and people just think they see ball lightning. But then, what about the physical damage reported in some instances of ball lightning?