Scientists around the world have long been interested in the fireball. For half a century of scientific study put forward dozens conceivable hypotheses to explain the nature of this phenomenon. It is often identified with an anomalous atmospheric phenomena as UFOs (unidentified flying object). This is exactly the case when one of confusion trying to explain another ... Try to touch the enigma of nature and ourselves.
It is easy to imagine the horror experienced by our ancestors, met with such a strange and frightening phenomenon. The first mention of ball lightning in the Russian archives striking example. In one of the monasteries in 1663, came "a denunciation of the priest Ivanishchev" from the village of New Ergi, stating: "... the fire fell on the ground for many yards, and how, and mansion, like a tow of grief, and people from He ran and he Katacha for them, and nobody burns, and then rose up into clouds.
Myths and legends of ancient times were ball lightning in a variety of guises. Most of her portrayed as a monster with glowing eyes or in the form of Cerberus - Satan's dog who guards the entrance to the underworld. From time to time he goes to take a walk on the surface of the earth. Meeting with him brings grief, and sometimes Cerberus leaves behind charred remains. It is well known from Russian folk tales Serpent Gorynych - one with a feather.
On the bank of the river Vahi in Tajikistan is a mysterious high mound, built of rounded stones. Science claims that he appeared at the time of Alexander of Macedon. But local folklore from generation to generation passes the legend of the fiery underworld and evil spirits living there. Sometimes they appear on the top of the mound, surrounded by black lights and the smell of sulfur. Describe these demons are always in the form of a huge dog with glowing eyes.
English folk legends literally filled with stories of "ghost dogs, spewing flames from the mouth."
The first documentary evidence of ball lightning back to the days of the Roman Empire. In ancient manuscripts describing events 106 years BC. e.: "Above Rome appeared giant red crow. They carried in their beaks with a hot embers that fell down and set fire to houses. Half of Rome was enveloped by fires.
There is documentary evidence of similar phenomena in France and Portugal in the Middle Ages. Sorcerers and alchemists, beginning with Paracelsus and ending with the mysterious Dr. Torallboy, looking for a way to gain power over the spirits of fire.
Myths and legends telling about the fire-breathing dragons and such evil exist in virtually all the peoples of the world. The explanation is simple ignorance can not. There were scientists who were very interested in this topic. Were carried out extensive research, and the conclusion was quite straightforward: many of the myths, tales, legends, may well be based on real events. All this seems to evidence about some mysterious natural phenomena. The presence of light, the ability to penetrate through the material objects and explosion - well, than not "tricks" ball lightning?
Group of enthusiasts led by a Moscow electrical engineer S. Martyanova interested in unusual near Pskov. In the quiet town of Pskov region is the so-called Devil's meadow. Summer and autumn, according to the locals in those places so many mushrooms that although oblique Kosi. But old-timers prefer to bypass this place tenth road, but visitors must tell about the incomprehensible black creatures with glowing eyes and a fiery mouth. This is how S. Martianov their experiences at the Devil's meadow: "There's something at me and rolled out from the bushes a mysterious black ball. I was literally blown away: on its surface ran fiery flashes. Nearby was a huge puddle of rain water. The dark object sparkled with a hiss and ran through the puddle. In the air rose a thick cloud of steam, there was a loud bang. After that, the ball instantly disappeared, as if through the earth. On the ground there was only a withered grass.
S. Martianov tried to find a solution for this phenomenal natural phenomena. In his research team included a theoretical physicist A. Anokhin. In the next visit to the Devil's fields were taken a few appliances, capable of detecting the powerful electric discharges. The sensors were placed around the field and began to watch. A few days needle quivered and went sharply to the right. In the middle of the clearing flushed crimson flame, which was soon extinguished. But suddenly, out of the ground appeared "something dark gray. Black ball is not fancy, because scientists have long documented ball lightning dark color. Then began continuous miracles. The ball did not behave as a rational being - he walked around the entire clearing in a circle, alternately burning there sensors. Melt expensive video camera and tripod, as "something dark gray" returned in midfield and absorbed into the ground, as in blotting bumagu.-members of the expedition for a long time remained in a state of shock. Riddle haunted. It is known that ball lightning often occur during storms, but that day the weather was perfect.
Offer possible clues of this mysterious phenomenon suggested that A. Anokhin. Scientists have long known is the fact that under the land may also occur storm. In different regions of our planet ever exist or arise unexpectedly faults of crystalline rocks of the earth's surface. During deformation in the crystals appear heavy-duty electric potentials and there is a piezoelectric effect. Apparently, underground lightning knocked out the surface.
In the western part of Novosibirsk, near the airport Tohmachevo and near the underground station Krasny prospect, for several years have seen the fiery objects. They have a diameter of several centimeters to several meters, appear at different heights, and sometimes pulled out from under the ground. Geologists attribute this phenomenon to the fracturing of crystalline rocks.
Scientists involved in the study of ball lightning, often affectionately call them "balls" or "balls". In 1902, the Estonian island of Saaremaa there was an interesting case. Nine-year-Mih-Kel Poa walked with friends on the shore of Lake Kaali. Suddenly before them appeared a strange creature - a small gray ball "with a diameter no more than an inch, which rolled silently along the path. The boys tried to catch him, but making a run for him, "loaf" hid in roadside bushes. Looking neither to no avail.
Witnessed an unusual phenomenon was the great Russian writer Maxim Gorky. Resting in the Caucasus with Chekhov and VM Vedeneyeva, he watched as the ball hit the hill, tore off a huge cliff and exploded with a deafening bang.
In the newspaper "Komsomolskaya Pravda" dated July 5, 1965 published article "Fire visitor. It describes the behavior of ball lightning is 30 cm in diameter, observed in Armenia: "Having circled the room, a ball of fire penetrated through the open door to the kitchen, and then flew out the window. Ball lightning struck in the courtyard on the ground and exploded. Fortunately, nobody was hurt. "
On the mysterious properties of ball lightning can also be judged on the occasion of the Orlov V. Lomakin artist. 6 July 1967, working in his studio, at 13.30, he saw right from the walls with the rustle, rustle of sheets reminiscent of the book, very slowly creeping creature with two dark brown eyes, covered with hair. The length of its body was about 20 cm on each side there was some semblance of wings. After flying from the wall a little more than a meter, the creature hit the line, with which the artist worked, and disappeared. On the floor V. Lomakin saw the ball, like a ball of twine. Surprised by the artist bent down to pick it up and throw it away, but found only a thick cloud of gray. A second later it is dissolved.
November 20, 1977 around 19.30 on the highway not far from Palanga passed on his "Volga" engineer A. Bashkis with passengers. They saw a ball of irregular shape of about 20 cm, floating slowly, crossing the highway. The top of the loaf was black, and on the edges - red-brown. The car drove over him, and "being" unfolded on the other side and continued on his way.
In 1981 a retired colonel AA Bogdanov saw over Chistoprudny boulevard ball lightning. Dark brown ball with a diameter of 25-30 cm were heated and suddenly exploded, stunning the numerous passers-by.
In the town of Mytishchi in March 1990, two students, returning to the hostel, faced with a mysterious dark-purple ball. He moved slowly through the air half a meter from the ground. Arriving at the hostel, they found the same ball on the windowsill. Terrified, the girls climbed into his head under the blanket, the ball at this time became smaller in size and changed color. When they ventured to look out, nothing found.
"Youth newspaper Karelia" October 9, 1993 also published an article about the mysterious sphere, Mikhail Voloshin, lived in Petrozavodsk, in a private home. For some time there has appeared a small ball with a diameter of 7 to 10 cm, he walked very quietly and arbitrarily changed the direction. Always disappear suddenly in the morning.
In the same year, an amazing thing happened to a resident of Ussuriysk M. Barents Sea. At Shlotovskom plateau near the rock, he noticed small clumps of fog spherical shape, which rolled on the ground. One of them suddenly began to grow out of it appeared clawed paws and mouth with bared teeth. Acute headache pierced M. Barents Sea, and the ball took the initial size and disappeared.
In the summer of that year with a fireball experienced engineers from St. Petersburg. Husband and wife were resting in a tent on the bank. Vuoksa. Coming storm, and the couple decided to put on a tent some of the things. Suddenly the trees they saw a flying ball, which stretched over a thick fog plume. The object moved toward the river parallel to the shore. Then it turned out that they broke down transistor radio, and my husband broke a digital watch.
In the western sources of information available earlier evidence of this mysterious phenomenon. During a storm on 14-15 April 1718 in Kuenone (France) observed three fireball with a diameter of more than one meter. In 1720, during a storm mysterious ball fell to the ground in a small French town. Out of the way, he struck the stone tower and destroyed it. In 1845, in Paris on the Rue Saint-Jacques a fireball through the fire entered the room of one of the workers. Gray ball arbitrarily moved through the premises, then rose up the chimney, and it exploded.
The British newspaper the Daily Mail, dated November 5, 1936 published an article on ball lightning. An eyewitness reported seeing the glowing ball, came down from heaven. He hit the house, damaging telephone wires. Burned a wooden window frame, and the "ball" disappeared into a vat of water, which is then boiled.
A few unpleasant moments experienced crew of cargo plane of the COP-97 U.S. Air Force. In 1960, at a height of nearly 6 km on board turned up uninvited guest. Luminous round object the size of about a meter penetrated into the cockpit. He flew a between crew members and just as suddenly disappeared.
But not always meet with ball lightning passes without consequences for humans. Assistant Lomonosov, Russian scientist G. Richman died in 1752, struck in the head a fireball coming from the broken wire from the lightning.
The tragic incident occurred in Tukumari, New Mexico, in 1953. Fireball flew in a large tank of water and it exploded. As a result, several homes were destroyed and four people died.
July 7, 1977, two large glowing ball fell into the open theater in the province Fudzyan in China. Killing two teenagers, and in the resulting panic has affected about 200 people.
Attack of the ball lightning was subjected to a group of Soviet climbers high in the mountains of the Caucasus. It happened on August 17, 1978. The bright yellow glowing ball flew into the athletes sleeping in a tent. Approaching the camp, it burnt sleeping bags and attacked people. The wounds had a much more serious than ordinary burns. One climber was killed, the others were seriously injured. Survey of athletes baffled doctors. Muscle tissue of victims was burned to the bones, though there worked welding machine.
8 1980 in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), the appearance of a luminous ball, too, led to the tragedy. Several houses were burnt down, the ball persecuted people and set fire to their clothes.
In the Literary Gazette of 21 December 1983 described the explosion of ball lightning. In the mountain valley working locals. In the sky there was a huge cloud, like a glowing inside. Rain came down, and people rushed to the mulberry tree to hide. But there already was a fireball. She literally threw people in different directions, many have lost consciousness. As a result, three people were killed.
List of tragic consequences of the meetings with a fireball, you can continue, but better try to understand - what is this phenomenon? Scientists estimate that every day on our planet rages about 44 thousand storms, every second of sticks into the ground to 100 lightning. But this is mainly ordinary linear lightning, a mechanism which has been well studied by specialists. Ordinary lightning - a kind of electrical discharge, which is formed under the action of high tension between the different parts of the clouds or between cloud and ground. Quick heating of ionized gas leads to its expansion - is a sound wave, that is thunder.
However, to explain clearly what the fireball, yet no one could. According to experts, will require the efforts of specialists in various fields of science, from quantum physics and the ending of inorganic chemistry. At the same time, there are clear grounds on which the ball lightning can be separated from other natural phenomena. Description of the various theoretical models of ball lightning, laboratory tests, thousands of images allow scientists to identify many of the parameters and characteristics of this phenomenon.
1. Firstly, why they are called ball? The vast majority of witnesses say they saw the ball. True, there are other forms - mushroom, pear, drop, torus, the lens or simply a misty, shapeless blobs.
2. Color range is quite varied - lightning may be yellow, orange, red, white, bluish, green, from gray to black. Incidentally, there are a lot of documentary evidence that it is homogeneous color or ability to change it.
3. The most typical for ball lightning is the size of 10 to 20 cm are less common sizes from 3 to 10 cm and from 20 to 35 cm
4. Regarding temperature the opinions of experts differ. Most often referred 100-1000 degrees Celsius. Lightning can proplavit glass flying through the window.
5. Energy density - is the amount of energy per unit volume. At ball lightning is a record. Those disastrous consequences, which we sometimes observe, make it impossible to doubt.
6. The intensity and time of the glow varies from several seconds to several minutes. Ball lightning can shine like an ordinary light bulb of 100 watts, but sometimes it can be blinded.
7. The common view that the fireball floats slowly rotating at a speed of 2.10 m / sec. Catch man running for it is not difficult.
8. His lightning visits usually ended in explosions, sometimes divided into several parts or simply fades away.
9. The hardest thing to explain the behavior of ball lightning. She is not afraid of obstacles, she likes to penetrate into the house through windows, vents and other openings. There is evidence of its passage through the walls of houses, trees and stones. It is noticed that she was indifferent to the sockets, switches, contacts. Getting in the water, a fireball can quickly bring it to a boil. In this balls burn and melt everything that occurs on their way. But I have been quite astonishing instances where the lightning burned the clothes, leaving the garment. She shaves person all her hair, snatched from the hands of metal objects. The man himself with the discarded long distance. Once the fireball of the alloy in general all bullion coin in your purse without damaging the paper money. As an intense source of electromagnetic microwave radiation, it disables phones, televisions, radios and other devices, where there are coils and transformers. Sometimes it does a unique "tricks" - at a meeting with a fireball in people with ring fingers disappeared. Low-frequency radiation badly affect the human psyche, causing hallucinations, headache, feeling of fear. The tragic encounters with a fireball, we mentioned above.
Consider the most typical hypothesis of this mysterious phenomenon of nature. However, once the reservation that the stumbling block is the lack of a reliable method of obtaining reproducible ball lightning under controlled laboratory conditions. The experiments do not give unambiguous results. Scientists studying this "something" can not claim that they are studying the very ball lightning.
The most common are chemical products, and now they were replaced by "Plasma Theory", whereby the energy of the subsurface tectonic stress may be released not only by earthquakes but also in the form of electric discharges, electromagnetic radiation, the linear and fireballs, and plasmoids - clusters of concentrated energy. German physicist A. Meissner is a supporter of the theory, which states that a fireball - a ball of hot plasma, furiously spinning through some of the initial momentum given to a bunch of linear lightning.
The famous Soviet electrical GI Babat during the Great Patriotic War, conducted experiments on high-frequency currents and unexpectedly reproduced ball lightning. So there was still a hypothesis. Its essence lies in the fact that the centripetal forces working to break the fireball into pieces, resist appearing at a high speed of rotation of the force of attraction between the laminated charges. But this hypothesis can not explain the lifetime of ball lightning and its enormous power.
Do not stay aside from this problem and Academician Kapitsa. In his view, a fireball - a volumetric tank circuit. Lightning picks up radio waves, arising from lightning discharges, which receives energy from outside.
Supporter of the chemical model of ball lightning is still Francois Arago. He believed that with the usual linear lightning discharge occur burning balls of gas or any rattlesnakes mixtures.
The famous Soviet physicist Frenkel of the opinion that the fireball - it is education, resulting in the creation of a lightning strike normal gaseous chemicals. They burn in the presence of catalysts in the form of particles of smoke and dust. But science does not know the substance with such a huge calorific value.
Research Institute of Mechanics, Moscow State University, BA Parfenov, launched its own version. He believes that the fireball - a toroidal current sheet and the annular magnetic field. When they interact, from the inner cavity of the ball deflate. If the electromagnetic efforts seek to break the balloon, the air pressure, on the contrary, is trying to crush him. If these forces are balanced, then the fireball will become stable.
From a purely scientific hypotheses, which are established and remain, move to more accessible, and sometimes naive versions.
Supporter very original assumptions about the origin of ball lightning is a researcher of anomalous phenomena Vincent X. Gaddis. According to him, on Earth a long time in parallel with the protein form of life, there is one. The nature of this life (let's call it Elemental) is similar to the nature of ball lightning. Fire Elementals are beings of extraterrestrial origin, but their behavior says about a particular intelligence. If desired, they can take many forms.
Physical chemist from Maryland David Turner spent studying ball lightning a few years. It adheres to the version that such supernatural phenomena as the poltergeist and Pyrokinesis, related to ball lightning. Underlying these mysteries are similar electrical and chemical processes. However, in laboratory conditions to confirm this assumption has not been possible.
It has long been attempts to link the UFO phenomenon with ball lightning. But they have failed - too different sizes, length of existence, shape and high power of these two phenomena.
There are more supporters of the original versions of the origin of ball lightning. In their view, they are the only ... optical illusion. Its essence is that when a strong flash of lightning through the linear photochemical processes in the human retina remains imprint in the form of spots. Vision may continue for 2-10 seconds. The failure of this hypothesis refuted hundreds of real photographs of ball lightning.
We have considered only some hypotheses and theories regarding mysterious phenomena such as ball lightning. They can accept or reject, accept them or reject them, but none of them have not been able to fully explain the mystery of "Kolobkov, and, therefore, suggest a man like him to behave when dealing with this natural phenomenon.
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