Re: Teslas Ball Lightning

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: "Chris Rutherford" <chris1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Hi All,

Were all entitled to our own opinion, and in the absence of 
reproducible lab evidence I can understand your argument.  However, 
there are a number of flaws in the psychological explanation which I 
will attempt to highlight.

1) By 1977 there were no less than 82 academic papers on ball 
lightning.  A lot of scientific interest for a so called psychological effect.

2) Globes have been reported to disappear with a loud bang behind a 
closed door.

3) Globes can pass behind objects disappearing from view and obscures 
those objects that it passes in front of.

4)  There is a marked change in its angular diameter as it approaches 
from 2m to 50cm

5)  It can abruptly disappear, where as afterimages fade away.

In conclusion, efforts to classify ball lightning as an illusion 
represents an undesirable philosophy in science.  This philosophy is 
the rejection of difficult problems in nature by denying the 
existence of phenomenon and its evidence, providing a physiological 
or psychological explanation.

I've never seen ball lightning, other than my spherical discharges, 
but as a true scientist, I can not deny its existence just because I 
cant see it.

Some more graphite particles:-

http://www.hackinghardware.com/tesla/graphite.jpg
http://www.hackinghardware.com/tesla/graphite1.jpg


Before the discovery of electron tunnelling stars could not exist 
because they were not hot enough to allow particles to overcome the 
electrostatic repulsion.

Thanks

Chris R

----- Original Message ----- From: "Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, July 28, 2005 2:41 AM
Subject: Re: Teslas Ball Lightning


> Original poster: "Peter Terren" <pterren@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> I concur with Steve here.  People don't tend to consider this simple 
> physiological explanation.  I get ball lightning every time I go to 
> the ophthalmologist and have bright lights shone in my eyes.
> Last time I was there however I photographed free air ionisation 
> from a Q-switched ophthalmic laser which is a small spark like spot 
> in the air. This is true ball lightning (unconnected ionised air) 
> but only lasts nanoseconds. There are 8 pulses in a train at 8mJ 
> each at 1064nm.
> http://tesladownunder.com/Lasers_%20HeNe_YAG.htm#Nd:YAG%203%20W%201069nm
>
> PeterPeter (Tesla Downunder)
>
>
> > Original poster: Steve Conner <steve@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> >
> > My own view is that ball lightning that seems to float
> > around and persist, is just an after-image burnt into
> > the retina of the extremely bright point where the
> > lightning attached to the target. There may well be a
> > ball of light there, but only for fractions of a
> > second, which is just what people observe in lab
> > experiments.
> >
> > Eyewitness accounts of how ball lightning moves and
> > passes through solid objects are (imo) consistent with
> > how your brain behaves when it tries to look at an
> > "object" that is actually inside your eye and moves
> > with it.........
> > Steve Conner