We live in an interesting time - in the courtyard of the 21st century, high technology is subject to man and is used everywhere in scientific work and in everyday life. The surface of Mars is investigated and a set of people wishing to settle on the Red Planet is made. Meanwhile, today there are various natural phenomena, the mechanism of which is still not understood. Such phenomena include ball lightning, which is of genuine interest to scientists around the world.
The first documented case of the occurrence of ball lightning took place in 1638 in England, in one of the churches of the county of Devon. As a result of the atrocities of a huge fireball, 4 people were killed and about 60 were injured. Subsequently, new reports of such phenomena appeared periodically, but there were few of them, as eyewitnesses considered ball lightning to be an illusion or an optical illusion.
The first generalization of cases of a unique natural phenomenon was made by the Frenchman F. Arago in the middle of the 19th century, about 30 certificates were collected in his statistics. An increasing number of such meetings made it possible to obtain, based on the descriptions of eyewitnesses, some characteristics inherent in a celestial guest.
Ball lightning is a phenomenon of an electrical nature, a ball of fire moving in the air in an unpredictable direction, glowing, but not radiating heat. On this general properties end and begin the particulars characteristic of each case.
This is due to the fact that the nature of ball lightning has not been fully studied, since so far it has not been possible to investigate this phenomenon in laboratory conditions or to recreate a model for study. In some cases, the diameter of the fireball was several centimeters, sometimes it reached half a meter.
Photos of ball lightning fascinate with their beauty, but the impression of a harmless optical illusion is deceptive - many eyewitnesses received injuries and burns, some became victims. This happened with the physicist Richmann, whose work on the experiments during a thunderstorm ended in tragedy.
For several hundred years, ball lightning has been the object of study by many scientists, including N. Tesla, G.I. Babat, P.L. Kapitsa, B. Smirnov, I.P. Stakhanov and others. Scientists have put forward various theories of the occurrence of ball lightning, of which there are over 200.
According to one version, an electromagnetic wave generated between the earth and clouds at a certain moment reaches a critical amplitude and forms a spherical gas discharge.
Another version is that ball lightning consists of high-density plasma and contains its own microwave radiation field. Some scientists believe that the phenomenon of a fireball is the result of focusing cosmic rays by clouds.
Most cases of this phenomenon were recorded before a thunderstorm and during a thunderstorm; therefore, the hypothesis of the appearance of an energetically favorable environment for the appearance of various plasma formations, one of which is lightning, is considered the most relevant.
The opinions of experts agree that when meeting with a celestial guest, one must adhere to certain rules of behavior. The main thing is not to make sudden movements, not to run away, try to minimize air vibrations.
