Ball lightning is dangerous to humans because it can explode, crash, and set objects on fire. Vladimir Bychkov, one of the leading researchers at the Department of Physics at Moscow State University, told socialbites.ca.
The nature of ball lightning is still unclear to scientists. Experts from the Department of Physics of Moscow State University conducted a series of experiments and came to the conclusion that these are gaseous soil that evaporates with a linear lightning strike and is surrounded by a hard shell. In this case, ball lightning can threaten people due to three factors.
“The hard oxide shell has a thickness of up to tens of microns, but it is durable and can withstand high pressures. According to estimates, the pressure inside the ball lightning can reach ten atmospheres, and in this case, when the shell breaks, a shock wave will appear, that is, the ball lightning will explode,” explains the scientist.
The danger comes not only from the explosion but also from the hot gas inside. It can cause burns and ignite surrounding objects. Finally, a linear lightning strike delivers a large electrical charge to the evaporating ground. Upon contact with people or objects, lightning balls discharge, causing electric shock and additional heat.
These effects are consistent with those reported by witnesses who closely observed this natural phenomenon.
Before the emergence of this explanation, dozens of laboratory experiments were carried out, from which many miniature artificial balls of lightning were obtained. You can read about these experiments and how natural ball lightning occurs. material “socialbites.ca”.
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Source: Gazeta
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.