BALL lightning still defies explanation, according to a series of reports to
be published next month by Britain’s Royal Society. To explain the bizarre
phenomenon may take the combined wisdom of more than 10 fields of science, from
maser physics to inorganic chemistry, they conclude.
Eyewitnesses have seen the glowing spheres known as ball lightning float
through the air for up to a minute, usually when thunderstorms are nearby. These
reports have often been dismissed as fantasy, but with around 10,000 sightings
over the past few decades, scientists are now convinced the effect is real.
Next month’s issue of…
