Ball lightning

In January 1984, a ball of lightning measuring 10 centimeters in diameter entered a Soviet passenger plane and, according to Soviet media, "flew over the heads of the astonished passengers. At the rear of the liner, it split into two hemispheres, which reunited and silently left the plane." The lightning left two holes in the plane.

Ball lightning is an extraordinary natural phenomenon that science is currently striving to explain. The challenge for scientists is that it occurs so rarely that studying it is virtually impossible. Attempts have been made to artificially recreate the phenomenon in the laboratory, but currently, a natural sample is required for study. This may prove impossible because ball lightning is fleeting—it passes by in an instant and disappears or explodes, causing a loud noise.

What causes ball lightning and its intriguing "behavior" is fascinating. Witnesses report that it moves with a kind of intelligence along walls or furniture, perhaps avoiding obstacles. More mysterious is its penetration through solid objects. Sometimes ball lightning leaves holes, as in the aforementioned airplane, but it can also pass through walls and window panes without leaving a trace.