Re: Ball Lightining (was- Christmas Tree Musings)

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Original poster: "Clifford Fahrer by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <cfahrer-at-in-touch-dot-net>



Tesla list wrote:

> Original poster: "John H. Couture by way of Terry Fritz
<twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <couturejh-at-mgte-dot-com>
>
> Ed -
>
> There was no molten copper bouncing on the floor as in some so-called
> fireball tests. The damage to the buss bars was negligible, only a few
> grains if any copper must have been involved. The basketball sized fireball
> hovered in the air above the buss bars for a couple seconds then
> disappeared. I believe this can be duplicated at any time if the conditions
> are exactly the same. There is very little energy expended because of the
> ultra short time peroid. Typical short circuit opening devices require too
> much time for fireballs to occur.
>
> John Couture
>
> -------------------------------
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tesla list [mailto:tesla-at-pupman-dot-com]
> Sent: Thursday, December 27, 2001 10:33 AM
> To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject: Re: Ball Lightining (was- Christmas Tree Musings)
>
>
>         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.
>
> Ed

<Snip>

I saw ball lighting as a young child twice inside our house.  On both
occasions during a summer
thunderstorm lighting struck close to our house.  the ball appeared at the
opening of the stairway (to
the 2nd floor), and floated through the house.  In both cases the ball only
appeared for a couple of
seconds.  To my young eyes it seemed the size of a basketball, but in
retrospect it was probably the
size of a baseball.  Was the stairwell a wave guide for the formation of
the ball?

I donut think dirt or dust was a factor, my mom kept the house very clean.
However moisture was
present in the air.

I plan to use carbon dust along with moisture for a ball lighting
experiment.  My  plan is to somehow
place the carbon dust near a point discharge on my coil. (I have caused
something like ball lighting
in a microwave using carbon dust.)  The moist air idea came from my
childhood experience.

Has anyone tried this combination?

Cheers,

Cliff Fahrer