Rare Phenomenon: Researchers Discover Earliest Report Of Ball Lightning In England

Ball lightnings are not well-understood even today, but there have been reports of it throughout the ages. Researchers have now discovered what may just be the earliest account of the mysterious phenomenon in England.

The ball lightning, also called globe lightning, is a rare aerial phenomenon typically associated with thunderstorms. It has been described as a luminous sphere several centimeters in diameter. These spheres can vary in color and are accompanied by a "distinct odor" and hissing sounds, Britannica noted. They usually last only for several seconds before suddenly vanishing "silently or explosively."

There have been many accounts of these "mysterious fireballs" through the years. However, this phenomenon remains "unexplained," Durham University, England, noted in a news release.

The earliest account of the ball lightning in England was during the "great thunderstorm" in Widecombe, Devon, on Oct. 21, 1638. Witnesses of the event described a massive 8-foot ball of fire that struck a church, almost destroying it.

In a new paper, published Wednesday in the Royal Meteorological Society's journal Weather, a pair of researchers described an even earlier account of a ball lightning in England, thanks to the writings of Benedictine monk Gervase of Christ Church Cathedral Priory, Canterbury.

Gervase described it as "a dense and dark cloud, emitting a white substance which grew into a spherical shape under the cloud, from which a fiery globe fell toward the river [Thames]" on June 7, 1195, the university noted.

"It predates the earliest known report of the phenomenon from England by nearly 450 years," the researchers wrote.

Gervase's description is quite similar to that of other historic and even modern descriptions of ball lightning, said Professor Brian Tanner from Durham University, who is one of the study's authors. He added that there are even some videos on the internet that match Gervase's descriptions, BBC reported.

The researchers noted that Gervase seems to be a credible witness and reporter. He had interest in natural phenomena and had also recorded other events such as eclipses and earthquakes, said study author Professor Giles Gasper. This could mean that his account of what happened on the Thames may actually be the "first fully convincing account of ball lightning anywhere," Gasper said.

"We should not dismiss medieval descriptions of the natural world as being mired in superstition and therefore of no value," Professor Tanner said. "This event was evidently sufficiently spectacular for it to merit special mention in the chronicle. Ball lightning was not understood then and it is still not understood now."