Weather and Climate | What Is Ball Lightning?
What is ball lightning?
Ball lightning is a rare and mysterious form of lightning. Numerous people throughout history claim to have seen it; however, it has never been photographed. Ball lightning is reported to look like a luminous white or colored sphere, from .4 to 40 inches (1 to 100 centimeters) in diameter. It is reported to last from a few seconds to several minutes, either hanging in the air or floating horizontally at a speed of about 10 feet per second. It either disappears silently or with a bang. Spheres have been reported to vanish harmlessly, or to pass into or out of rooms leaving a sign of their passage, such as a hole in a window pane.
There are various theories as to the cause of ball lightning. One recent theory claims that ball lightning is an "electromagnetic knot" created by the linked lines of magnetic force that form in the wake of an ordinary lightning bolt. Some scientists, however, suggest that...
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