Does this explain UFOs? Strange ‘ball lightning’ phenomenon could solve mystery of suspected extraterrestrials
Scientist suggests people may have mistook the glowing spheres for flying saucers
THE mystery of UFOs is something that continues to defy scientific explanation.
While many of us doubt the existence of extraterrestrial life, others entertain the idea that we're not alone in the universe.
But many suspected UFO sightings are explained away by the natural phenomena of ball lightning.
Though rare, these bright, glowing spheres of light sometimes occur during a thunderstorm.
They are often mistaken for something far more other worldly as they appear to mysteriously float in the sky and have the strange ability to float through walls.
As explained in this video from , though there are several theories, nobody knows for sure what ball lightning is and what causes it.
But a new from a scientist in China certainly sheds some light on the matter.
Rather than being connected to extraterrestrials, researcher H.C. Wu claims ball lightning is generated when lightning strikes create a "plasma bubble".
According to Wu, when a bolt of lightning hits the ground, it accelerates electrons close to the speed of light which prompts them to emit intense microwave radiation.
This radiation then charges the air, causing the formation of a "spherical plasma bubble" which traps the radiation.
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There have been at least 5,000 recorded sightings of ball lightning, with many who saw it claiming the weird orbs appear all of a sudden, move erratically and release a toxic, nasty odour.
They vary in diameter, from pea-sized to metres-wide, and either disappear gradually or explode out of sight, sometimes leaving destruction in its wake.
Some have even reported the balls' mysterious ability to move through walls and other solid objects.
Wu's theory could explain this characteristic and the scientist goes a step further to suggest ball lightning "can be formed even inside aircraft".
This could potentially happen if a plane is struck by lightning as the electrons are moving so fast they are able to permeate the the aircraft and form a plasma bubble inside. Scary stuff.
Wu also puts the unpleasant smell down to the radiation which produces ionized chemicals with pungent whiffs.
While Wu concedes the theory needs validation through a series of experiments.
But the report warns the phenomenon of ball lightning is "an alarm signal of the existence of ultrastrong microwaves and abundantly hazardous electrons near the ground or aircraft". Eek!