Re: Golka video: Ball Lightning in lab. WHAT?!!!!!

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: William Beaty <billb@xxxxxxxxxx>

On Tue, 21 Jun 2005, Tesla list wrote:

> Original poster: Mark Fergerson <mfergerson1@xxxxxxx>
>
>    OTOH if they're really spherical balls of pseudoplasma, what pulls and
> holds them into a spherical shape in the face of the forces trying to
> distort them?

That's the whole question right there.   The "balls" should not exist.
But neither should Ball Lightning.   (One mad scientist to another: "My
God man, do you realize that this phenomenon CONTRADICTS THE VIRIAL
THEOREM?!!!!!!"


>    Because the metal bit is heavier than air; what holds it up is the
> continuous stream of water vapor coming off the surface immediately below
> it. I'd think your pseudoplasma would be lighter than air.

In my opinion, the biggest mystery of Ball Lightning is that it *doesn't*
rise like a helium balloon.  Most reports have it drifting horizonally,
while some reports have it bouncing along the ground.  If BL always rose
quickly as electric arcs do, the mystery would be far smaller.  And
similarly, if we ever intentionally produce something that looks like
plasma yet it falls downwards, we should sit up and take notice, since it
might put us on the trail of BL research.


>    I'm not impressed with his reason for using water. What happens on bare
> dry steel? How about on dry refractory surfaces?

Or if we need to prevent them from escaping across a smooth surface, use
powdered plaster or quartz sand or similar.




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