This theory also suggests materials other than silicon - such as aluminum and iron metals - may also cause the orbs, and that any atmospheric discharge, not necessarily lightning, may explain why ball lightning has been sighted near power poles, electrical fitters, and even active faults. And once the silicon has burned out, the ball lightning disappears. The glow and heat come from the chemical energy created as the silicon recombines with oxygen in the air. The particles in this fine dust are attracted to each other by the electrical charge created by the lightning strike, binding together into a ball. As the vapor cools, the silicon condenses into a fine dust. When lightning strikes the ground, silicon that occurs naturally in soil combines with oxygen and carbon and turns into pure silicon vapor. The most popular current theory, proposed by John Abrahamson at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, suggests that ball lightning is the result of a chemical reaction of silicon particles burning in the air. While no theory has yet to explain ball lightning, a promising theory focuses on silicon. The more unusual explanations suggested mini black holes created during the big bang or a possible alien presence. Throughout history, speculations about the cause of ball lightning have ranged from the existence of standing waves of electromagnetic radiation to plasma clouds and from short-circuiting power lines to St. There's no scientific explanation for balls of lightning, although there are several proposed theories. However, a recorded case didn't occur until the 18th century when Georg Richmann, a pioneer in research on electricity, was killed by what's believed to have been ball lightning. Stories of these glowing spheres go as far back as the Middle Ages, maybe even as far back as the Ancient Greeks. While we're all familiar with lightning, it's estimated that between one in 30 and one in 150 people around the world believe they have seen balls of lightning hovering over the ground, floating through walls and even killing people.
Lightning has long fascinated people, motivating them to create myths about its origin and inspiring legendary experiments with electricity. Lightning is static electricity but on a scale your socks could never produce: It's three times hotter than the surface of the sun and could power a 100-watt bulb for more than three months. When you rub your socked feet on the carpet and zap yourself on a doorknob, you're experiencing static electricity. General Photographic Agency/Hulton Archive/ Getty Images
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