Ball lightning: one of the secrets of nature, which scientists still can not reveal

Mankind makes bold plans for the colonization of the Moon and Mars, reveals the secrets of past eras, but is still not able to explain the process of the occurrence of ball lightning. Outstanding physicists of several countries have dealt with this issue at different times, and dozens have long been involved in scientific theories designed to explain this mysterious phenomenon.

Among all types of lightning, it is ball lightning that causes the greatest interest, both among scientists and among the rest of the inhabitants of our planet. Despite eyewitnesses and numerous studies, scientists still have not been able to figure out how this mysterious and frightening natural phenomenon occurs, and some experts even tend to consider such lightnings as an optical illusion.

Ball lightning is an extremely rare natural phenomenon that usually occurs during a thunderstorm or storm and is often accompanied by ordinary lightning. Mention of this phenomenon has been found since the Middle Ages. Cases of the occurrence of ball lightning both on the street and indoors are described, there are eyewitness accounts who claim that lightning moves behind people. Several marine vessels were the victims of fireballs that caused fire and damage to wooden parts.

Also described are many cases of people meeting with ball lightning, which ended tragically, leading to fires and even death. For example, the case of the death in 1753 of the scientist of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences Georg Richman, who was engaged in the study of ball lightning, is described in detail. Especially for the study of this phenomenon and atmospheric electricity in general, he designed a device from which ball lightning arose during a thunderstorm. According to the testimony of an assistant nearby, a bright ball hit the scientist, there was a loud pop and Georg Richmann died.

Despite the thousands of cases described, scientists still have not been able to understand how ball lightning occurs, and the study of this mysterious phenomenon faces a number of difficulties. The first thing that impedes the work of scientists is the extreme rarity of ball lightning and the complete impossibility of predicting the time and place of their occurrence. In addition, despite all the efforts of the researchers, they still have not been able to reproduce this process under experimental conditions.

Of course, with the advent of video cameras, a large number of video materials appeared on which eyewitnesses managed to capture this unusual phenomenon. But even this is not able to bring clarity to the process of forming ball lightning. Nevertheless, not so long ago, the scientific community finally recognized the fact of the existence of ball lightning, and the majority of scientists called theories claiming this phenomenon to be optical illusions insolvent. The bulk of theories trying to explain the occurrence of ball lightning connect this phenomenon with the appearance of a region with a large difference in electrical potentials. In this case, the ionization of gases and their compression in the form of a ball.