Ball lightning origin. Plasmoid "life". Ball lightning
“So, today the topic of our lecture is electrical phenomena in nature.” With these words the next pair of physics began. She didn’t foretell anything interesting, but I was very mistaken. I haven’t heard so many new things for a long time. Then the topic of ball lightning struck me.
It was mentioned in passing, so I decided to deal with it myself. After reading more than one book and many articles on the Internet, this is what I found out. It turns out that until now no one can say exactly where it comes from and what it is. Ball lightning is one of the most mysterious natural phenomena. And this is in our time! Stories about observing ball lightning have been known for two thousand years.
In air, silicon oxidizes again and so quickly that it produces typical black body radiation. We simply see it as ball lightning. Although there were certain similarities, no one chose to consider this as strict evidence. The goal was simple and unpretentious - to determine the spectral characteristics of ordinary lightning. At first it was bright purple-white, then the color gradually began to change to orange, white and all ended in red.
By analyzing the images, scientists answered the main question - in this ball light there were spectral traces of silicon, iron and calcium - the main minerals of the soil. True, they emphasize that fluctuations in the light intensity of the lightning rod were in the region of 100 Hz, which, given the proximity of the strike to the transmission line, may mean the influence of power lines on ball lightning. This can be explained by the anomalous size of the object, which is obvious from the range of ordinary eyewitness accounts.
The first mention of it dates back to the 6th century: Bishop Gregory of Tours wrote then about the appearance of a fireball during the consecration ceremony of the chapel. But the first who tried to investigate reports of ball lightning was the Frenchman F. Arago. And this happened only 150 years ago. In his book, he described 30 cases of observing ball lightning. This is not much, and it is quite natural that many physicists of the century before last, including Kelvin and Faraday, believed that this was either an optical illusion or a phenomenon of a non-electrical nature. But since then, the quantity and quality of messages has increased significantly. To date, about 10,000 sightings of ball lightning have been documented.
Thus, a completely pure experiment has not yet succeeded. But it is also a real achievement, perhaps an important step towards uncovering a complex phenomenon that for many centuries has defied detailed scientific analysis. And, if we don't, this is the first scientific observation of the spectrum of ball lightning and certainly the first accurate tracking of color changes throughout its life. In any case, it is now clear why light bulb witnesses, observing it one moment at a time, describe color differently and how different optical parameters of such phenomena can be associated with different corners of the Earth.
Ball lightning is a unique and peculiar phenomenon. But scientists still cannot please us with great achievements in the field of research of these objects. How is it formed ball lightning? Exists great amount theories about the origin and “life” of ball lightning. It has not yet been possible to synthesize ball lightning. By summarizing a large amount of evidence, it is possible to create an average “portrait” of ball lightning. Most often it takes the form of a ball, and sometimes a pear, a mushroom or a drop, or something as exotic as a donut or a lens. Its size varies: from a few centimeters to a whole meter. The “lifetime” also extends over a very wide range - from several seconds to tens of minutes. At the end of this phenomenon's existence, an explosion usually occurs. Occasionally, ball lightning may break up into separate parts or simply fade away slowly. It moves at a speed of 0.5-1 meter per second. The variety of colors is simply amazing: from transparent to black, but shades of yellow, orange, blue and red are still in the lead. The color can be uneven, and sometimes ball lightning changes it like a chameleon.
According to Abrahamson, this is evidence that "from the same ball lightning, light is provided by two different sources." It took me a long time to invent the materials, but it's special for these smart and inquisitive boys. The mysterious phenomenon has been familiar to man since ancient times. In antiquity, attempts were made to describe it, and due to its random nature and enormous power, it was demonized.
Not everyone is lucky enough to feel the power of ball lightning. According to statistics, this is only 0.1% of the world's population. Scientists from different countries began to analyze the phenomenon of "ball lightning", but their efforts did not produce any significant results. At first it was argued that such a phenomenon does not exist in nature; now there are several successful attempts to produce the phenomenon in the laboratory. This is becoming a sensation because there are many theories about the electromagnetic phenomenon, but little research.
The most difficult thing is to determine the temperature and mass of ball lightning. According to scientists, the temperature can range from 100 to 1000? But at the same time, people who encountered ball lightning at arm's length rarely noticed any heat emanating from them, although, logically, they should have received burns. The same mystery is with mass: no matter what size the lightning is, it weighs no more than 5-7 grams. As for the direction of movement, most often ball lightning moves horizontally, approximately a meter above the ground, and can make chaotic movements along the way. Sometimes she may stop when passing by a house and carefully enter the house. Ball lightning can enter a room not only through an open window or door. Sometimes, it becomes deformed and seeps into narrow cracks or even passes through glass without leaving any traces in it. Interestingly, it can cause radio interference. There are often cases when observed ball lightning carefully flies around objects on its way until it reaches a very specific and only known object.
Professor Gerd Fusman and his colleagues are conducting an experiment on water disinfection with electricity. Ball lightning is not common in nature, but disappears in the laboratory for about one and a half seconds. However for full description the phenomenon still needs a lot of experimentation and research. Here it is clear to him that: - ball lightning is a spheroid with a diameter of several centimeters to several meters. - The most common shape is spherical, but pear-shaped and drooping. During its movement, it can change its shape.
To summarize all of the above, I would like to say that using the example of ball lightning, a person can once again be convinced of how many secrets and mysteries nature hides within itself, and a person would be a complete fool if he said that he had studied everything completely. Well, at least not at this stage of scientific development. This is not all that I learned about this natural phenomenon, but I guess everything else will have to wait until next time!
In one documented case, ball lightning passes through a crack, changing its shape from a sphere of something like a sausage, leaving no trace of the surfaces touching it as it sneaks up. Entering the room causes damage, burning everything it touches and eventually blowing into the wall. Believed to be used air traffic. The truth is that she appeared in completely enclosed spaces without knowing where she came from. This is the case in Dobrich, when a fireball walked for a long time in an empty apartment, leaving burnt places on the mattress on the bed, the TV, the walls, breaking the tray and mysteriously disappearing. - Interestingly, the ball has a cool outside temperature and a hot inside.
Ball lightning is a luminous spherical clot of electric current. Even if it exists, and some scientists doubt it, it is very rare. However, a lot is known about the tricks of ball lightning amazing stories. For example, in 1936, English newspapers talked about ball lightning, which first cut telephone wires near one house, then flew through an open window and plopped into a barrel of water standing by the window. Eyewitnesses claim that the water in the barrel began to boil. Rare appearances of ball lightning seem to occur after a regular lightning strike. The size of these glowing balls ranges between the size of a plum and a soccer ball. Ball lightning comes in red, orange, yellow or blinding white. As the ball approaches, a threatening hissing and buzzing sound is heard. Based on eyewitness accounts, two types of ball lightning are distinguished. The first is a red lightning bolt descending from a cloud. When such a heavenly gift touches any object on earth, for example a tree, it explodes.
Ball lightning can be as large as soccer ball, she can hiss and buzz threateningly.
Another type of ball lightning travels for a long time along earth's surface and glows with a bright white light. The ball is attracted to good conductors of electricity and can touch anything - the ground, a power line or a person. Scientists know little about ball lightning because it is very difficult to study. Firstly, you have to guess where the lightning will appear, and this is almost impossible. Then you need to capture the luminous ball on film or videotape, and this is very difficult, because before you have time to press the button on the video camera, the luminous phenomenon will already disappear.
So the only thing that scientists base their reasoning on is the stories of people who were eyewitnesses of this phenomenon. There is little objective evidence of the reality of ball lightning, so many scientists doubt the very fact of its existence. And those who do not doubt it find it difficult to explain its nature. Main question is why ball lightning has existed for so long. A flash of ordinary lightning lasts an elusive moment, it occurs at the moment when negatively charged particles of the cloud meet positively charged particles rising from the ground.
Ball lightning is a small copy of a thundercloud that occurs during a flash of ordinary lightning.
Ball lightning lasts from several seconds to several minutes. How does this work? One theory states that the ball is a small copy of a thundercloud. Here's how it probably happens. There are always tiny specks of dust in the air. Lightning can impart an electrical charge to dust particles in a specific area of air. Some dust particles are charged positively, others - negatively. In a further light show lasting up to many seconds, millions of small lightning bolts connect differently charged dust particles, creating the image of a sparkling fireball in the air.
Recommendations
When on the street, in a park area or in a forest, you should NOT hide under tall trees; it is better to move 30-40 m away from them. The probability of lightning hitting a particular tree is directly proportional to its height.
A tragic incident occurred during the day on Lake Svityaz in the Novogrudok district of the Grodno region: a child born in 2001 died. Lightning struck a tree where he and his parents were hiding from the thunderstorm. The tree fell, causing fatal injuries to the child. (July 19, 2009, http://news.tut.by /142875.html)
It has been noted that most often lightning strikes oak, poplar, pine and spruce, less often - birch, linden, and hazel is practically not affected by lightning strikes. The danger increases if there are already trees nearby that have been previously struck by lightning. A reliable shelter is dense bushes in the forest.
In the city, try to take refuge in a store or residential building as soon as possible. They have reliable lightning protection, unlike stops public transport. If there are no such options, you need to wait out the thunderstorm by squatting under low plants. It is better to turn off your cell phone when you are outside.
Two children died and two more were injured by lightning in Stolbtsy (Minsk region). On Zelenaya Street, 30 meters from the railway bridge, lightning struck a group of children. Two boys, both born in 1994, died on the spot. Two more were injured. A melted mobile phone was found near the scene of the incident. It is assumed that it was he who caused the lightning to hit the children. (July 9, 2009, http://news.tut.by /142105.html)
Your car is a safe haven and should not be left during a thunderstorm. You need to close the windows and lower the car antenna, stop driving and wait out the bad weather on the side of the road or in the parking lot, located away from tall trees. Bicycles and motorcycles, on the contrary, are potentially dangerous at this time. They should be left away, laid on the ground and kept at least 30 meters away from them during a thunderstorm. It is even more dangerous to be in a tractor in an open field.
When a thunderstorm approaches, those who like swimming and fishing are advised not only to immediately stop these activities, but also to move away from the reservoir. There is no need to seek shelter in floodplain bushes. If there is an open field around, you need to get to the nearest forest (but not individual trees in open areas) or to the village as soon as possible (but do not run if a thunderstorm has already begun). At the same time, try to avoid lonely trees and other tall objects, about two hundred meters away.
When encountering ball lightning, you should remain calm and stop the slightest movements. There is no need to get close to it or touch it with anything, as an explosion may occur. You should not run away from ball lightning, because the resulting air flow will pull it along with you.
Even installing a lightning rod does not guarantee complete protection of the building from troubles. A lightning rod protects against direct lightning strikes, but not against so-called secondary effects. The fact is that when lightning strikes the ground or some object within a radius of up to 1500 meters from the building, there is a possibility of electrical discharges moving to it through various communications capable of conducting current: power supply systems, communications, gas pipelines. This causes a sharp increase in voltage in electrical networks, leading to various emergency situations - from burnout of microcircuits in household appliances to complete failure of electrical equipment.
It is recommended to turn off all household electrical appliances in the house during a thunderstorm and not use a regular telephone, do not stand near windows and doors, and do not touch water taps. This way you will protect both your equipment and your health from unexpected problems. Make sure that there is no draft in the room, which can attract ball lightning. It is better not to light the stove or fireplace at this time, since the smoke coming out of the chimney has high electrical conductivity, and the likelihood of a lightning strike into the chimney increases.
A few words about how to learn to calculate the approach of thunderstorms. To determine at what distance it is, approaching or moving away, you need to detect the time between the flash of lightning and the subsequent clap of thunder. In 3 seconds, the sound travels approximately 1 km. If the time from the lightning flash to the thunder gradually decreases, then a thunderstorm is approaching you. Based on this, you can calculate the approximate distance to the epicenter of the thunderstorm and take measures to ensure your safety. The most dangerous situation occurs when thunder rumbles immediately after a flash of lightning - which means thunder cloud is already right above you.
If a thunderstorm takes you by surprise, you need to remember the following:
*.lightning never strikes bushes;
*.avoid isolated trees;
*.When working in the field, put aside metal tools;
*.do not stand under an open umbrella;
*.do not touch electrical objects and remove them from your pockets;
*.if possible, wait out the thunderstorm in your car;
*.stay away from tall metal structures;
*.do not swim, do not wade the river, move away from the reservoir.
It is paradoxical that the substance consisting of ball lightning has the density of a gas, but has a solid surface. Finally, this substance is plasma, but it only “survives” at room temperature. The closest relative of ball lightning, also a plasmoid, is the Sun. The globe usually disappears with a bang, followed by a crash. Leaving behind the odor of ozone and poisonous gases that can kill a person if inhaled.
According to eyewitnesses, there were several incidents of ball lightning. After a chorus of everyone shouts, “Look!” The ball exploded with a blinding glow, gently scraping off the hair and clothing of one of the six bystanders. No one was hurt, but everyone felt their legs were “cut,” a common symptom of being struck by lightning. A moment after the ball splashed through the open window of the room, lightning could be seen striking two trees growing next to the house.