Ball Lightning in Zero Gravity

Summary form only given. We have made what appears to be ball lightning in a simulated zero gravity environment. This experiment continues the work that was previously reported. The apparatus comprises a horizontal discharge tube filled with atmospheric air. The apparatus is rotated around the horizontal axis to reduce the vertical thermal convection that removes thermal energy from the ball during formation. The discharge is produced by five neon sign transformers in parallel, producing 15000 V at 300 mA. A sixth transformer is used over a short gap to trigger the discharge. The result produces an elliptical "ball" 2 1/2 inches by 5 inches that survives for about one second. This is the largest ball we have created so far. The ball has been photographed both in visible and in infrared light, and we have several successive shots made with an ordinary 35 mm camera. The discharge was pulsed during the rotational period, and to provide a time base, a neon lamp operating at 60 Hz was included