Re: Ball Lightining (was- Christmas Tree Musings)

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Original poster: "davep by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <davep-at-quik-dot-com>


>         I would be "all shook up" too!  I suspect that the ball you observed
> had a core of molten copper, which perhaps bounded along the floor
> leaving burn marks as it went.
 
>         On the subject of "ball lightning", I have seen it twice.  In both
> cases I happened to be out in the open during a summer thunder storm and
> was looking directly at a tree when it was hit by a lightning bolt.
> After the flash I could see a string of folden ball-like objects
> floating in the sky.  In retrospect, I am positive that these were an
> illusion created by retinal fatigue.

	Possible.

	That was one common way of 'explaining away' ball lighting.
	Untill a bolt hit an airliner, more or less full of
	scientists (returning to Oak Ridge).  A ball calmly floated
	down the aisle, in the middle of the passengers...  MANY
	of whom were 'qualified observers'.

	(This can be verified...  Look for a book titled Ball Lightning
	and Bead Lightning.)

	ANYway, one of my pet theories is that ball lighting is not
	at all uncommon in nature.  Its just not easy to SEE.
	ANYone within a radius of what 25 miles?  100 miles?
	may well see a bolt.  A ball is visible over a much shorter
	range.

	(which does not help explain BL, but may help with the
	realization that its not THAT hard (maybe) to reproduce.)

	Some Years ago the Corums thought they had done so, with
	one of their large coils.  They set their coil up more or
	less per the break rate, etc, that Tesla used in Colorado
	Springs on the occasion when HE thought he saw BL (which
	he called 'a fire ball'.)

	(in my opinion, many of the 'explanations' offered for
	BL, especially the 'reproductions' are of something
	'like' BL, rather than BL proper...)

	best
	dwp