ball lightning spectrum

Thus, ball lightning is a self-confined light in a nonlinear optical medium in the form of the conventional air atmosphere. The spectrum of a cloud-to-ground lightning strike and of the ball lightning it generated. The researchers detected emission lines of neutral atomic silicon, calcium, iron, nitrogen, and oxygen—in contrast with mainly ionized nitrogen emission lines in the spectrum of the parent lightning. A ball of lightning which entered the church of Stralsund, on exploding, projected a number of balls which exploded in their turn like shells.[19]. The team also used their video data to plot the ball lightning’s intensity and apparent diameter as they varied in time, down to the millisecond time-scale. Yuan says that this is the first time ball lightning has been seen to be created by a cloud-to-ground lightning strike. Ball lightning has been described as transparent, translucent, multicolored, evenly lit, radiating flames, filaments or sparks, with shapes that vary between spheres, ovals, tear-drops, rods, or disks. A faint smile was on his face, and he nodded his head at me. To get maximum damage, you must place mines near the enemy to get the aura benefit from high impact, and you also must only detonate once to ensure that you get the longest possible chain to maximize damage from blast chain. Some experiments describe covering the match with an inverted glass jar, which contains both the flame and the balls so that they don't damage the chamber walls. [14], An English journal reported that during an 1809 storm, three "balls of fire" appeared and "attacked" the British ship HMS Warren Hastings. The study also showed that the rapidly changing magnetic field of a close lightning flash is strong enough to excite the neurons in the brain. It had a diameter of 5 m (16 ft) and covered a distance of about 15 m (49 ft) within those 1.64 s. Oscillations in the light intensity and in the oxygen and nitrogen emission at a frequency of 100 hertz, possibly caused by the electromagnetic field of the 50 Hz high-voltage power transmission line in the vicinity, were observed. Now they are trying to apply these results to the design of new materials. A new study has succeeded in capturing the first spectrum of ball lightning, offering clues about how this mysterious phenomenon is formed. The motion of such balls is far from being very rapid – they have even been observed occasionally to pause in their course, but they are not the less destructive for all that. A proposed technique to study our Galaxy’s cosmic-ray history involves observing the damage created by neutrinos within deeply buried rocks. They are separate and distinct phenomena.[45]. . Seward, Clint. Some 19th-century reports[1][2] describe balls that eventually explode and leave behind an odor of sulfur. [100] It is similar to a liquid or solid state of matter with extremely low (gas-like) density. The BL is generated by a cloud-to-ground lightning strike. The simplest case corresponds to radial oscillations in a spherical plasma membrane. [86], Oleg Meshcheryakov suggests that ball lightning is made of composite nano or submicrometer particles—each particle constituting a battery. Watch high-speed footage of the ball lightning event and the accompanying spectrum: Learn about another kind of electrical phenomenon produced not by thunderstorms, but by earthquakes . [4][5] Laboratory experiments have produced effects that are visually similar to reports of ball lightning, but how these relate to the supposed phenomenon remains unclear. Lett. [4][47] The theorized forms of silicon storage in soil include nanoparticles of Si, SiO, and SiC. 10, pp. At the same time, the ring expands concentrically parallel to the ground at low speed. Pages in category "Ball lightning" This category contains only the following page. Ball lightning appears as glowing orbs that seem to occur during thunderstorms, usually following a lightning strike. M. Colon, Vice-President of the Geological Society of Paris, saw a ball of lightning descend slowly from the sky along the bark of a poplar tree; as soon as it touched the earth it bounced up again, and disappeared without exploding. Descriptions of ball lightning appear in a variety of accounts over the centuries and have received attention from scientists. Physics of Plasmas. The visibility of the ball lightning can be associated with electroluminescence, a direct result of the triboelectric effect from materials within the area of the reaction. “We are planning to simulate the observational conditions and reproduce it in the laboratory,” says Yuan. Still invisible, and due to the central and surface tension-forces, it shrinks to an intermediate state of a cylinder, and finally into a ball. Ball lightning spectrum.svg 661 × 372; 41 KB. [59][60] These experiments stemmed from the theory that ball lightning is actually oxidized silicon vapors (see vaporized silicon hypothesis, below). Some seconds after this a glowing sphere a little more than 20 cm [8 inches] in diameter emerged from the pilot's cabin and passed down the aisle of the aircraft approximately 50 cm [20 inches] from me, maintaining the same height and course for the whole distance over which it could be observed. [26], Descriptions of ball lightning vary widely. // J. Two Brazilian scientists, Antonio Pavão and Gerson Paiva of the Federal University of Pernambuco[58] have reportedly consistently made small long-lasting balls using this method. Later, some blamed the entire incident on two people who had been playing cards in the pew during the sermon, thereby incurring God's wrath.[1]. 2011. The present theory concerns only the low energy lightning ball form, with centripetal forces and surface tension. Ball lightning (BL) has been observed with two slitless spectrographs at a distance of 0.9 km. Wandering glow discharges are found to occur within certain industrial microwave ovens and continue to glow for several seconds after power is shut off. [94], Chen was able to derive the physics and found that there is a class of plasma toroids that remain stable with or without an external magnetic containment, a new plasma configuration unlike anything reported elsewhere. [49], The International Committee on Ball Lightning (ICBL) held regular symposia on the subject. [35][85] Lightning strikes perpendicular to the ground, and thunder follows immediately at supersonic speed in the form of shock waves[37] that form an invisible aerodynamic turbulence ring horizontal to the ground. The idea of the superconductivity in a ball lightning was considered earlier. Its appearance has also been linked to power lines,[24][43] altitudes of 300 m (1,000 feet) and higher, and during thunderstorms[24] and calm weather. There is at present no widely accepted explanation for ball lightning. References to glowing orbs in the sky are even found in ancient texts such as the bible's account of Elijah ascending to heaven in a fiery chariot. Physicist Domokos Tar suggested the following theory for ball lightning formation based on his ball lightning observation. The lightning balls can dramatically explode as the structure destabilizes. This ball rolled across without doing any harm to two women and a young man who were here; but on getting into an adjoining stable it exploded and killed a pig which happened to be shut up there, and which, knowing nothing about the wonders of thunder and lightning, dared to smell it in the most rude and unbecoming manner. From the spectrum, the temperature of the ball lightning was assessed as being lower than the temperature of the parent lightning (<15,000 to 30,000 K). The ball lightning traveled horizontally across the video frame at an average speed equivalent of 8.6 m/s (28 ft/s). Such observations might ultimately suggest how to create ball lightning artificially, says Uman, and Yuan agrees. [91] Such fields, which are found within close distances to a point in which multiple lightning strikes have occurred over a few seconds, can directly cause the neurons in the visual cortex to fire, resulting in magnetophosphenes (magnetically induced visual hallucinations). My heart froze, I glanced at my grandfather – his face was completely calm. Ball Lightning In A Tornado Vortex [Source: Nando News / By Philip Cohen - May 26 1999] The last place most people would try to start a fire is inside a tornado. Ball lightning has been one of the most mysterious natural phenomena for centuries, partly because it is so rare and transient and therefore hard to investigate. (2014), Y. H. Ohtsuki and H. Ofuruton, “Plasma Fireballs Formed by Microwave Interference in Air,”, Y. Sakawa, K. Sugiyama, T. Tanabe, and R. More, “Fireball Generation in a Water Discharge,”, J. Abrahamson and J. Dinniss, “Ball Lightning Caused by Oxidation of Nanoparticle Networks from Normal Lightning Strikes on Soil,”, Physical Review Physics Education Research, Observation of the Optical and Spectral Characteristics of Ball Lightning, Experiments Duplicate Mysterious Rock Patterns. There are repeated accounts of inadvertent production of floating explosive balls when the battery banks were switched in or out, especially if misswitched or when the highly inductive electrical motors were misconnected or disconnected. Electronic oscillations are also possible as stationary waves in a plasma ball or thick plasma membrane. One early account reports the Great Thunderstorm at a church in Widecombe-in-the-Moor, Devon, in England, on 21 October 1638. Suddenly it became quite dark, a blast of wind from the open door blew out the flame of the candles which were lit in front of the iconostasis, there was a long clap of thunder, louder than before, and I suddenly saw a fiery ball flying from the window straight towards the head of the Emperor. One theory that may account for the wide spectrum of observational evidence is the idea of combustion inside the low-velocity region of spherical vortex breakdown of a natural vortex[vague] (e.g., the 'Hill's spherical vortex'). These floating fireballs shine as brightly as a 100-watt lightbulb; can be white, yellow, orange, red or blue in color and are typically about the size of a small grapefruit, although sightings suggest they can range in size from golf ball to beach ball. Recessed Lighting. A surface discharge shorts these batteries, causing a current that forms the ball. Four people died and approximately 60 were injured when, during a severe storm, an 8-foot (2.4 m) ball of fire was described as striking and entering the church, nearly destroying it. But two researchers who have pulled off a similar trick in a lab in New Zealand say their experiment may explain enigmatic weather phenomena such as ball lightning. [91][92] The direction of the discharges indicate the cylinder's rotation, and resulting rotational axis of the ball lightning in accordance to the law of laminar flow. The resulting transformation subsequently becomes visible once the energy is concentrated into the final spherical stage. The ball had left a red spot on Richmann's forehead, his shoes were blown open, and his clothing was singed. [76][77][78] It was suggested that a ball lightning is based on spherically symmetric nonlinear oscillations of charged particles in plasma – the analogue of a spatial Langmuir soliton. 2, 215–238. A Spec. (At the very least, observations would differ substantially. Some scientific groups, including the Max Planck Institute, have reportedly produced a ball lightning-type effect by discharging a high-voltage capacitor in a tank of water. Several hypotheses have been advanced since the phenomenon was brought into the scientific realm by the English physician and electrical researcher William Snow Harris in 1843, and French Academy scientist François Arago in 1855. On 15 December 2014 flight BE-6780 (Saab 2000) in the UK experienced ball lightning in the forward cabin just before lightning struck the aircraft nose. [6][7], Scientists have proposed a number of hypotheses to explain reports of ball lightning over the centuries, but scientific data on ball lightning remains scarce. “This one certainly seems to be made of dirt,” says Uman, but he says the data don’t reveal any hints as to which ball lightning theory is correct. It may be red, orange, yellow, white, or blue in colour and is These plasmas appear to originate due to more than one set of weather and electrically charged conditions, the scientific rationale for which is incomplete or not fully understood. They had set up spectrometers on the remote Qinghai Plateau of northwest China to investigate ordinary lightning, which is frequent in this region. These then recombine to form nanoparticles or filaments which, while still floating in air, react with oxygen, releasing heat and emitting the glow [3]. [74] The latter ionizes the local air and the radiation pressure evacuates the resulting plasma, forming a spherical plasma bubble that stably traps the radiation. . [citation needed] St. Elmo's fire arises when a sharp conductor, such as a ship's mast, amplifies the atmospheric electric field to breakdown. It occurred in air and in nitrous oxide, which possess such metastable ions, and not in atmospheres of argon, carbon dioxide, or helium, which do not. "Ball Lightning Explanation Leading to Clean Energy." He crossed himself just as calmly as he had when the fiery ball had flown near us, and I felt that it was unseemly and not courageous to be frightened as I was. For instance, microwaves are able to pass through glass, which helps to explain why balls could be formed indoors. I felt that one had only to look at what was happening and believe in the mercy of God, as he, my grandfather, did. Rev. According to this underlying assumption, the core is surrounded by a thin electron layer with a charge nearly equal in magnitude to that of the core. One popular theory is that ball lightning is caused when lightning striking the ground vaporizes some of the silicate minerals in soil. [68], In this model ball lightning is assumed to have a solid, positively charged core. Although the darkness prevented the researchers from estimating the ball’s altitude, they saw it drift horizontally for about 10 meters and ascend about 3 meters. To obtain a time resolved spectrum we need to add a horizontal slit to isolate just a segment of the lightning channel and then cause the film to move perpendicularly. Included is a report by a farmer of observing a ball lightning event forming in a kitchen and the effects it caused as it moved around the kitchen. Other cases with the exact same appearance but occurring in other circumstances would be called UFOs, psychic lights, or will-o'-the-wisps depending on the context and … The wind was high and the air seemed to be full of electricity. Just before the explosion, the ball seemed to be the size of a large mill-stone. It moves horizontally during the luminous duration. A vacuum exists between the core and the electron layer containing an intense electromagnetic (EM) field, which is reflected and guided by the electron layer. I felt a very slight shock in the middle of my right hand, which was closer to the globe than any other part of my body.[22]. 8, No. He was sheltered in a small cottage when he, in his own words, ...noticed, with what I can only describe as calm amazement, that a dazzling globe of electric fire, apparently between six and twelve inches [15 and 30 cm] in diameter, was stationary about six inches [15 cm] below and to the right of my right knee. Read More ». This strengthens the possibility of lightning-induced seizure in the occipital lobe of a person close to a lightning strike, establishing the connection between epileptic hallucination mimicking ball lightning and thunderstorms. As I looked at it, it exploded with a sharp report quite impossible to confuse with the continuous turmoil of the lightning, thunder and hail, or that of the lashed water and smashed wood which was creating a pandemonium outside the cottage. Flashes described in observer accounts spent decades uncovering similarities in how disordered materials deform the. K. `` ball lightning emission peaks of silicon storage in soil minerals which have produced inconsistent.. Ring expands concentrically parallel to the ground is then a soliton in the strips! Uses the generic name `` Unconventional Plasmas ''. [ 45 ] is shut off source. Vortex around a newly forming star of size, color, and gone! 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Fireballs can form indoors the ambient field this much by its own conductivity usually associated with thunderstorms, following. ] describe balls that eventually explode and leave behind an odor of sulfur glow for several seconds after power shut! Are planning to simulate the observational conditions and reproduce it in the vapors says that this the... Small glowing, sparkling orbs that roll around a circular axis in the opposite direction ( at the of...

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