Ball Lightning: An Unsolved Problem in Atmospheric Physics

Rating:
Summary: Still a mysterious phenomenon
Review: Ball lightning obviously is an extremely rare event. As in the case of other rare phenomena, the investigator is dependent on reports of casual witnesses, because systematic observing programs are not possible. The reports collected over many years include reliable as well as doubtful information. Stenhoff gives a good sample of reports, photos and descriptions. These clearly show the range of observed phenomena and the questions which remain open. The summary of sightings and the review of theories to explain the variety of observations makes the book very valuable, particularly as there is no comparable recent publication on this topic. I also appreciate the list of references (up to 1998 publications) which allows to look for details regarding reports as well as theoretical papers. All together: highly recommended.