11. Blue St. Elmo’s Fire: Nature’s Electric Blue Glow
Though not strictly speaking lightning, Blue St. Elmo’s Fire is an amazing meteorological occurrence closely related to atmospheric electrical discharges. During thunderstorms or in strong electric fields, an eerie blue glow can occasionally be seen on pointed objects including ship masts, aircraft wings, or mountaintop buildings.
St. Elmo’s Fire gets its blue hue from the ionisation of air molecules—mostly nitrogen—in the presence of a high electric field. Eleons removed off these molecules then recombine generate a distinctive blue glow. This generates around the impacted objects a continuous, brilliant plasma.
Under the correct circumstances, St. Elmo’s Fire is rather long-lasting and observable for several minutes or even hours unlike other blue lightning events. Although this phenomena seems concerning, sailors and aviators have recorded it for millennia; often seen as a favourable omen in marine folklore, this phenomena is usually benign.
12. Blue Ball Lightning: Mysterious Orbs of Azure Energy
One of the most mysterious and divisive kind of lightning events is blue ball lightning. Reports of these unusual, spherical objects of brilliant blue light appearing during thunderstorms, drifting through the air and occasionally even passing through solid things abound. Although ball lightning has been discussed for millennia, new studies have given some proof for this enigmatic occurrence.
Like other blue lightning events, ball lightning is believed to get its blue hue from ionisation of air molecules. Still up for scientific discussion, though, is the precise process that generates and maintains these brilliant orbs. While some ideas post more complex explanations involving quantum events, others believe that ball lightning might be a plasma phenomena.
Usually lasting several seconds, blue ball lightning runs far longer than ordinary lightning strikes. Though very unusual, reports of blue ball lightning have emerged from all throughout the world, usually characterising softball-sized orbs of blue light that travel erratically before evaporating or bursting.