metalresearcher
National Hazard
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Registered: 7-9-2010
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Does ball lightning really exist ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_lightning tells many hypotheses about the nature of BL. Even one which tells about a hallucinational phenomena
"Transcranial magnetic stimulation" so it does not really exist at all. That contradicts the reports on damage to objects or injury to people who
experienced BL.
The most probable theory is that rock (SiO2) is being vaporized by the heat of a lightning strike and is decomposed to Si vapor and the Si burns again
which causes the bright color. The exposion can be hydrogen-oxygen explosion as the lightning strike decomposes water (vapor) and it recombines
explosively due to a heat source.
But why are there barely any photo and video recordings despite the ubiquity of cellphone cameras in the past decade ?
And the SiO2 theory would require much energy as the lightning (which is a very short living electric arc) melts and decomposes the SiO2. But melting
SiO2 in an electric arc requires much more time than the fraction of a second a lightning strike occurs. So, IMHO that cannot be possible.
As it is also allegedly seen on ships and even aboard aircraft where no SiO2 is available, can it be water vapor decomposition ? That can also be
plausible as H2O decomposes above 2500 C and the temperature of a lightning bolt is well above this value.
What are your ideas ?
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Sulaiman
International Hazard
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Registered: 8-2-2015
Location: 3rd rock from the sun
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Ball lightning has been discussed here in a few threads,
eg https://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/viewthread.php?tid=15933...
CAUTION : Hobby Chemist, not Professional or even Amateur
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Morgan
International Hazard
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Registered: 28-12-2010
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A peaceful Florida day before, a hurricane a few hundred miles away, when out on my deck shaking out a floor mat, the sky had some clouds but there
was no wind and I was in a patch of sun when a sudden loud bang of lightning discharged in the clouds above. But aside from the sudden startling
blast, the next sound was like a hundred white hot crackling bomblet electric discharges, seemingly about to rain down on me. As I darted inside, the
notion of ball lightning occurred to me.
"The same potential difference that generates a lightning stroke may create smaller pockets of electric charge in the surrounding area. These may be
strong enough, at the instant of the lightning, to make crackling electrical sounds similar to static electricity discharge."
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