Mysterious lightning phenomenon recorded in ancient medieval text

28 January 2022
/Amalyah Hart

Benedictine monk documented the still-mysterious wonder of ball lightning.



Unlike traditional lightning (pictured), ball lightning is exceptionally rare and as yet poorly understood by the scientific community. Image credit: Alexandre Brochard Photographies/Getty Images


British researchers have uncovered what they believe to be the earliest written account in England of a bizarre – and poorly understood – phenomenon known as ‘ball lightning’, chronicled in a medieval text written by a Benedictine monk who lived just under 1000 years ago.

What is ball lightning?

Usually associated with thunderstorms, ball lightning has been described as a bright spherical object, on average 25 centimetres across but sometimes reaching several metres in diameter.

The phenomenon has mystified humans for centuries, with the previous oldest written account having been found in a 1638 report, which described a ball of fire flying into a church, accompanied by a great peal of thunder.

Scientists don’t really understand what causes ball lightning, and have long been on the hunt for an explanation. One possible answer is that lightning striking the ground vaporises some of the minerals in the soil, which then, floating in the air, react with oxygen and release heat and light to produce an unearthly glow. This explanation seems supported by a 2014 study, which identified trace evidence of silicon, iron and calcium – all abundant in soil – in a flash of ball lightning.

More:
https://cosmosmagazine.com/history/ancient-text-mysterious-lightning-phenomenon/