What is ball lightning? |
What is ball lightning? asks Kelly Corcoran, a student in Babylon, NY.
Stories of ball lightning date back to at least the Middle Ages, and scientists estimate that at least five percent of our planet’s population have had the privilege (or, sometimes, the misfortune) to have seen the glowing, floating spheres.
According to eyewitnesses, ball lightning appears as a radiant sphere, ranging in size from a baseball to a basketball. It may be white, yellow, red, orange, or blue, and is usually no brighter than a 100-watt light bulb.
The glowing ball often floats 2 to 6 feet or more above the ground as it travels, sometimes spinning as it moves back and forth, here and there. After seconds—or minutes—the ball goes out with a hiss, pop, or a loud bang. Like a July 4th sparkler, ball lightning may emit an acrid smell like burning sulfur or ozone, and leave smoke behind. Most ball lightning is seen just before or during a thunderstorm, within seconds of a lightning strike.