Ball Lightning - An Unsolved Problem in Atmospheric Physics by Mark Stenhoff BSc MPhil (Lond) CPhys MInstP FRAS FRMetS (2002).pdf

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Ball Lightning
An Unsolved Problem in
Atmospheric Physics
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Ball Lightning
An Unsolved Problem in
Atmospheric Physics
Mark Stenhoff
B.Sc., M.Phil. (Lond.), C.Phys., M.lnst.P.,
F.R.A.S., F.R.Met.S.
Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers
New York, Boston, Dordrecht, London, Moscow
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eBook ISBN:
0-306-47092-6
Print ISBN:
0-306-46150-1
©2002 Kluwer Academic Publishers
New York, Boston, Dordrecht, London, Moscow
Print
©1999
Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers
New York
All rights reserved
No part of this eBook may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
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Foreword: Ball Lightning
L Thus astronomy and cosmology continue to spring surprises in the form of
puzzling new objects in the depths of the universe. In the microscopic realm, particle
physicists have struggled to make sense of a plethora of subatomic fragments.
Finally, the burgeoning subject of complexity theory hints at deep linkages between
physics and biology, and touches on topics as diverse and bewildering as chaos,
turbulence, and even ecology.
We are so used to dramatic developments being concentrated in these three
frontier categories that it comes as a bit of a surprise to find an unexplained
phenomenon that falls outside of any of them. Ball lightning isn’t very large, very
small, or seemingly very complex, yet it has baffled some of the best investigators
in the business. Here, it seems, under our very noses, is the sort of mystery that
should have been solved a century ago, but wasn’t.
I have never witnessed ball lightning personally, but I have read many reports
of it and interviewed a number of witnesses. Although it can take a variety of forms,
a typical lightning ball is a glowing sphere a few centimeters across that floats across
ground for a few seconds before either fading away or exploding. Most alarming
of all are those cases where a ball is seen inside a room or even in an aircraft.
The bizarre nature of the phenomenon has led to a certain amount of neglect
in scientific circles. Some years ago it was common for scientist to pooh-pooh the
whole subject. Attempts were made to explain ball lightning reports away as optical
illusion, will o’ the wisps, or hoaxes. Today, however, the weight of evidence is
compelling that a genuine unexplained physical phenomenon underlies the majority
of sightings.
ooking back at twentieth-century science, one may discern three broad
frontiers of research—the very large, the very small, and the very complex.
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Foreword: Ball Lightning
Hardest to understand is how such a large amount of energy can be confined
in a spherical form and remain stable for so long. Although estimates are rather
unreliable, some lightning balls appear to pack a lot of punch, and can cause serious
injury and damage. There have been many attempts to model ball lightning as some
sort of energetic glowing plasma trapped by suitably configured electric and
magnetic fields. Ironically, physicists have for years tried to confine hot plasmas
electromagnetically, in order to create a controlled nuclear fusion reaction that
might serve as a potential power supply. After 40 years of effort, their attempts are
still plagued by plasma instabilities. Yet if the reports of ball lightning are to be
believed, nature has found a way to create stable plasma balls without any sophis-
ticated equipment.
The phenomenon becomes really puzzling when the peculiar properties of ball
lightning are examined. How is a ball of plasma able to pass through a window pane
without disruption? Or glide down the aisle of an aircraft? Why should such a ball
shoot up a chimney, roll along electric power lines, or bounce along the ground?
What produces the curious hissing or sizzling sound reported in some sighting?
Mark Stenhoff is a physicist who has a long professional association with the
subject of ball lightning and related phenomena. He has personally studied a great
many cases and thoroughly researched the literature. In this book he provides us
with a welcome review of the phenomenon and the different theories put forward
to explain it. He relates some of the more startling incidents in a sober and
methodical fashion, and makes some useful suggestions for how our understanding
of the mystery can be advanced.
The subject of ball lightning falls on the edge of what we might call respectable
science. Because ball lightning has so far proved impossible to recreate in the
laboratory (aside from some very short-lived small balls), most of the information
available has been gleaned from eyewitness reports. Since members of the public,
when presented with an unexpected and alarming phenomenon, are notoriously
unreliable, it is hard to know how much credence to give the details of the reports.
Might the witnesses have exaggerated the size, duration, or brightness of the ball?
Could the reported damage have been caused by something else, like an associated
conventional lightning strike?
It must be remembered that untrained observers also report flying saucers,
ghosts, poltergeists, and alien beings. Are scientists supposed to take these seriously
too? Indeed, Stenhoff points out that some reports of unidentified flying objects
(UFOs) bear many of the hallmarks of ball lightning, so if the puzzle of ball
lightning is solved, then at least some UFOs may become IFOs (identified flying
objects). In spite of its slightly wacky overtones, ball lightning deserves to be taken
seriously. There can be little doubt that some interesting and as yet ill-understood
physical phenomenon is taking place, and we may learn some very interesting
physics by studying the reports more carefully.
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