Ball lightning: The phenomenon simply explained

Ball lightning could not be explained for a long time and there are some secrets and legends surrounding the phenomenon. In our article, we explain what the natural speculum is all about.

Ball lightning made of silicon, iron and calcium

In 2012, the secret of ball lightning was revealed. During a thunderstorm, Chinese researchers succeeded for the first time in photographing, measuring and analyzing a ball of lightning.

• A thunderstorm and a lightning strike into the ground are prerequisites for the occurrence of ball lightning.
• The smallest particles, also called nanoparticles, are released by silicon, iron and calcium. These combine in the air to form a fine, spherical web.
• The particles of this nano-spin react with the oxygen present in the air. This process, called oxidation, releases heat and light.
• As a result, the spherical web begins to glow and floats through the area at a speed of several meters per second. The light color can range from purple to orange to white and red.
• Ball lightning can be of different sizes. Ball lightning in sizes of table tennis balls as well as footballs were observed. The ball lightning filmed in 2012 reached over one meter.
• After a few seconds the spectacle is over as quickly as it started.

Ball lightning legends and facts

A ball of lightning is undoubtedly a fascinating sight when you see it. For centuries, mankind has been puzzling over this phenomenon. There are also numerous eyewitness accounts, some tragic, some amusing.

• For a long time, people had been groping about the formation of ball lightning in the dark. Researchers sometimes developed abstruse theories. Some assumed that it is cosmic radiation that bundles into spheres.
• Other theses explain ball lightning with small black holes or meteorites made of antimatter. We will explain what that is in an extra article. For the explanation of the phenomenon it is important: When particles from antimatter meet particles from matter, they annihilate each other with bright radiation.
• There is also talk of illusions, even hallucinations. They are said to arise from the flashing of the eyes during a particularly violent flash and trigger the feeling of seeing a ball of lightning.
• Scientists tried to artificially create ball lightning. For example, in 2008 German plasma physicists placed water in a vessel with a voltage of 5 kV, whereupon something like a ball-lightning formed for half a second. This gave rise to the hypothesis that ball lightning occurs in water puddles after lightning strikes.
• All tests had in common that it was never proven whether the test results are exactly what eyewitnesses observed. And there are many different perceptions of it.
• One boy reported that his grandmother was chased through the stable by a ball of lightning. She could only save herself with a daring jump.
• A report comes from 1973, according to which a 10-15 centimeter-sized light ball hopped through the plane during the thunderstorm over Frankfurt Airport during a thunderstorm.
• In Russia, a seven-year-old boy and his dog were killed in 2016 when they touched a ball of lightning. The ball lightning is said to have rolled into the hut and the dog had snapped at him.
• Current observations were reported from Saxony-Anhalt in early August. There, during a violent thunderstorm, a ball of lightning appeared in a couple's garden and moved towards the front of the house. After a few seconds, the specimen vanished with a deafening bang. It left no traces, only the television picture was disturbed.