Ball lightning characteristics (NASA TN D-3188)

Warren D. Rayle, 1966. NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio.

Surveys of NASA Lewis staff: ball lightning was reported nearly as often as seeing ordinary cloud-to-ground strokes hit nearby; 112 detailed descriptions were collected; no strong correlation between brightness, size, duration and colour; diameters follow a log-normal distribution; two tentative categories, balls that appear after a ground stroke and stay near the ground, and balls first seen in mid-air that vanish without disturbance.

Ball lightningReportCopy of NASA Technical Note D-3188, Ball lightning characteristicsChecked against the original0

What it's used for here

The first systematic survey and an open table of 112 cases.

The document 44 pages

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Cited by on this site 10 records

NASA Technical Note D-3188, Ball lightning characteristics

ART

NASA Technical Note D-3188, Ball lightning characteristics: document

CPY

NASA Lewis survey of 112 ball-lightning descriptions (Rayle 1966)

Dataset

DAT

Rayle tentatively separated two categories of report, near-ground after strokes and mid-air.

Evidence

EVD

Rayle's first category appears after a stroke to ground and stays near the ground.

Evidence

EVD

Rayle's second category is first seen in mid-air and vanishes without disturbance.

Evidence

EVD

Surveys find reports nearly as frequent as nearby cloud-to-ground strokes, with consistent statistical…

Evidence

EVD

Rayle publishes the NASA Lewis survey of ball lightning reports

EVT

Warren D. Rayle

FIG

Ball lightning

The mystery article

MYS

Cite it

Rayle, W. D. (1966). Ball lightning characteristics (NASA TN D-3188). NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19660006027

@techreport{rayle1966characteristics,
  author = {Rayle, Warren D.},
  title = {Ball lightning characteristics (NASA TN D-3188)},
  howpublished = {NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio},
  year = {1966},
  url = {https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19660006027}
}

TY  - RPRT
TI  - Ball lightning characteristics (NASA TN D-3188)
AU  - Rayle, Warren D.
PY  - 1966
JO  - NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio
UR  - https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19660006027
ER  -

Rayle, Warren D.. “Ball lightning characteristics (NASA TN D-3188).” NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio (1966).