Free Republic

Scientists have finally created an elusive particle known as the Shankar skyrmion, more than 40 years after it was first theorized. And, in the process, they may have modeled the rare phenomenon of ‘ball lightning’ on a quantum scale. Not only could the discovery help to explain the mysterious natural occurrence, which can appear as a sphere of electricity in the midst of storms, but the experts say it could pave the way for more stable plasma in fusion reactors. The three-dimensional particle consists of knots made from the spin fields of a Bose-Einstein condensate – or, atoms cooled to...

Every so often, given the proper conditions, a small and roughly spherical piece of the atmosphere around us will briefly catch fire. As they are best viewed late into the night and have no obvious natural explanation, it’s perhaps no wonder they’ve inspired a rich mythology. Names for balls of fire include ignis fatuus, will-o’-the-wisp, ghost lights, and ball lightning. They’ve been said to hover above graves, dance along the banks of rivers, signal the imminent arrival of an earthquake, and stalk the aisles of airplanes. Even today, we don’t have a crystal-clear understanding of how they form and do...

US researchers have developed a new way to create glowing orbs of plasma similar to ball lightning in the lab, allowing them to study their chemical and physical properties. The work could help scientists unravel the mysteries of this very rare natural phenomenon.Ball lightning has been known for millennia, but its rarity and short lived nature – typically lasting between 1 and 10 seconds – has prevented it from being studied and understood. In recent years, however, lab experiments that mimic ball lightning have been developed.One method involves a glowing discharge produced above an aqueous electrolyte solution. However, high...

A team of Australian scientists believe they have uncovered the cause of one of nature's most bizarre phenomenon - ball lightning. Ball lightning is typically the size of a grapefruit and lasts up to 20 seconds. "Ball lightning has been reported by hundreds of people, for hundreds of years and it has been a mystery," said CSIRO scientist John Lowke, lead author of a new study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres. Previous theories have suggested microwave radiation, oxidising aerosols, nuclear energy, dark matter, antimatter, and even black holes as possible causes. One recent theory suggests burning silicon...

Some UFO sightings could be explained by ball lightning and other atmospheric phenomena, claims Australian astrophysicist Stephen Hughes. The scientist has made a detailed study of an unusual event in 2006 when large meteors were observed over Brisbane. Their appearance occurred at the same time as a brilliant green object was seen to roll over nearby mountains. Dr Hughes has put forward a theory linking the object - presumed to be ball lighting - to the fireballs. His idea is that one of the fireballs may have momentarily triggered an electrical connection between the upper atmosphere and the ground, providing...

If you're looking for one of those famous, big-eyed alien abductors, try looking on the sides of milk cartons. The UFO cultural moment in America is long since over, having gone out with the Clintons and grunge rock in the 90s. Ironically, the force that killed the UFO fad is the same force that catapulted it to super-stardom: the Internet. And therein hangs a tale about how the Internet can conceal and reveal the truth. It's hard to remember just how large UFOs loomed in the public mind a mere ten years ago. The X-Files was one of the hottest...

About 8 PM CST, I was out getting my mail. I was facing southwest. The sky was mostly clear. I saw a very short flash, very white, against the houses I was facing. It seemed to be behind me, so I turned around, then facing northeast or north northeast, and then saw a very fat contrail or smoke trail, sort of a yellowish off white with the center portion having some color, red, orange, and maybe a little green The streak, whatever it was, was about 30 or 40 degrees above the horizon, with the left (west) portion being higher...