Re: Teslas Ball Lightning

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: "Malcolm Watts" <m.j.watts@xxxxxxxxxxxx>

On 26 Jul 2005, at 16:21, Tesla list wrote:

> Original poster: "Chris Rutherford" <chris1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> Hi Malcolm,
>
> BL exists, it has been reported since 1800.  The only reason it 'does
> not exist' is because it can't be reproduced in the lab.

I did not claim it doesn't exist - I said that I saw no evidence,
photographic or otherwise in the CSN that Tesla had actually done it.
I had better have a closer look at p333 as you kindly mention. I
still don't recall seeing any evidence that he destroyed any of his
equipment in that way. Anyone?

Malcolm

  What I'm
> trying to do is differentiate between spherical discharge and BL. i.e.
> BL has an extraordinary decay, where as a normal fire ball has a
> ordinary delay (if you see what I mean).  So far I have only been able
> to produce ordinary decay, i.e. 3 frames or 0.12 seconds.  For an
> extraordinary decay the BL needs a) a retarding process or b) an
> external source.  As Tesla clearly produced 1 inch ordinary decay
> (CSNp333), it is only fair to speculate that Tesla managed to produce
> extraordinary decay and worked out the reason for the decay.  If I can
> produce decay of 0.13 seconds with 750VA and some bits of graphite
> (melting point 3000C) then I'm pretty sure Tesla managed to do
> something more interesting with 250KVA.
>
> Some of my ordinary decay discharges.
>
> http://www.hackinghardware.com/tesla/cr-bl1.jpg
> http://www.hackinghardware.com/tesla/cr-bl2.jpg
> http://www.hackinghardware.com/tesla/cr-bl3.jpg
>
> cr-bl3 is interesting,  it shows spherical discharge as an isolated
> process after the streamer has moved away from that space.
>
> Thanks
>
> Chris R
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx> To:
> <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, July 26, 2005 12:59 AM Subject: Re:
> Teslas Ball Lightning
>
>
> >Original poster: "Malcolm Watts" <m.j.watts@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> >
> >Hi Chris,
> >
> >On 25 Jul 2005, at 12:26, Tesla list wrote:
> >
> > > Original poster: "Chris Rutherford" <chris1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > >
> > > Hi All,
> > >
> > > Just a question about the  unpublished Chapter 34 of Prodigal
> > > Genius.   John J. O'Neill states that the main mast at Colerado
> > > was destroyed by a fireball, is there any evidence for this, or is
> > > it folk law, based on interviews with Tesla before he left us?
> > > Was this main mast part of the extra coil?
> > >
> > > Tesla became familiar with the destructive characteristics of
> > > fireballs in his experiments at Colorado Springs in 1899.  He
> > > produced them quite by accident and saw them, more than once,
> > > explode and shatter his tall mast and also destroy apparatus
> > > within his laboratory.  The destructive action accompanying the
> > > disintegration of a fireball, he declared, takes place with
> > > inconceivable violence.
> >
> >He produced no photographic evidence in the Notes of any such event.
> >My reading of what he said was that he was promoting an idea, not
> >reporting on an event.
> >
> > > He studied the process by which they were produced, not because he
> > > wanted to produce them but in order to eliminate the conditions in
> > > which they were created.  It is not pleasant, he related, to have
> > > fireballs explode in your vicinity for they will destroy anything
> > > they come in contact with. "
> >
> >Will they? Well he says so but again there is no evidence to support
> >his conclusions.
> >
> >Malcolm
> >
> > > <http://www.tfcbooks.com/tesla/prevent.htm>www.tfcbooks.com/tesla/
> > > prev ent.htm
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > >
> > > Chris R
> > >
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: <mailto:chris1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>Chris Rutherford
> > > To: <mailto:tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>Tesla list
> > > Sent: Friday, July 22, 2005 7:23 PM
> > > Subject: Teslas Ball Lightning
> > >
> > > Hi List,
> > >
> > > Tesla makes several references to 'ball lightning' throughout his
> > > works.
> > >
> > > It is possible that it does exist, but not in the spectacular form
> > > as described by many.  I have spoken to someone who claims to have
> > > seen a 10" ball hovering around some electricity pylons, but these
> > > don't match the type described in CSN.  The balls produced by a
> > > Tesla coil are small and only last a fraction of a second.  On
> > > p111 of the CSN small dots appeared in his streamers, but he
> > > dismissed this as a persistence of vision.  Yet on p333 he goes
> > > further. "The actual appearance of these luminous spots or points
> > > is unmistakable".  He later discusses the formation through the
> > > rapid heating of particles. "The fire ball may be connected with a
> > > process akin to explosion or sudden volatilisation."   The
> > > dictionary definition of volatilisation is "to make volatile",
> > > thus he might be describing a process that makes stable molecules
> > > become unstable, releasing light.
> > >
> > > Has anyone seen ball lightning described in this context, rather
> > > than the more spectacular sightings?
> > >
> > > What sort off power levels would he have been using at that time?
> > >
> > > <http://www.hackinghardware.com/tesla/mlbl.jpg>www.hackinghardware
> > > .com /tesla/mlbl.jpg
> > >
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > >
> > > Chris
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
>
>
>
>