Condign volumes 1 to 3

# UNCLASSIFIED

UK RESTRICTED

# THE CHARACTERISTICS OF BALL AND BEAD LIGHTNING

## INTRODUCTION

1. A review of the nature of Ball and Bead Lightning has been made, because of the possibility of this being reported:

- As a visual unexplained UAP sighting since this phenomena can exist up to two hours after a storm and the luminous globe can be retained on the human eye (as an after image on the retina) and reported as an object.

- As a potential UAP phenomena which can occur in all weather situations - even in a clear sky.

- The sounds and colours which can be produced by ball lightning are frequently similar to those which appear on UK UAP reports.

Lightning, as a topic, has only been seriously (scientifically) investigated for the last 200-300 years. Reports go back to at least 'Globes Igneous', (St. Gregory of Tours 6th Century AD), Aristotle 4th Century BC and others in the First Century BC. On occasions the Ball variety of lightning is known as a 'solid' or simply 'fireball'. The phenomenon of Ball Lightning is assessed to involve the disciplines of chemistry, meteorology, physics, electrostatics and electromagnetics. Chemical, optical and various electrical models and explanations have been proposed. These are only investigated here to a depth to show the consistency of characteristics as an aid to the identification of many UAP events as ball lightning or its similar relation phenomenon 'Earth Lights'. Of the numerous explanations there is generally at least one important aspect that is not totally fulfilled and a variety of theories are put forward to explain the missing

link. Either lifetime (duration) is explained and stability not, or for example, colour does not match expected temperatures. For other theories, for example the vortex explanation, does not explain electrical properties. Apart from Ball Lightning and Earth Lights, many such occurrences are known simply as 'atmospheric spherical formations'. While the probability of the occurrence of ball lightning somewhere on earth has been calculated as between $ 1 0^{-9} $ and $ 1 0^{-8} $ per square kilometre per minute (equating to about 100 to 1000 balls world-wide per hour); it can only be seen at close range and many events must be unrecorded. Some, of course, are black, others translucent, both have weak thermal radiation. Reportedly bright spots or 'beams of light' are likely to occur when the phenomenon approaches a conducting object. [Comment: This is important in the context of reports, often by car owners who report supposed 'extra terrestrial' objects with illuminated 'portholes']. The 'beams' often converge unlike, for example, searchlights and this appears to be due to lens effects caused by the high electric field intensity of the surface, or 'shell' of the ball (or other shape seen)

2. Ball Lightning A study of Ball Lightning can be classified under the following headings:

- Conditions and locations for occurrence.

- Shapes, sizes and structures

- Motion (Velocity and Trajectory)

- Sounds

- Duration

- Radiation (Heat and Light)