(ORDO NEWS) — Specialists from the University of Durham, which is located in the UK, began to study the ancient manuscript of the Chronicle of Gervase of Canterbury. They determined that the manuscript could have been written by a monk. In it, he supposedly described ball lightning in great detail.
The experts turned their attention to a small fragment of an ancient chronicle, which may be the earliest description of ball lightning found in England.
Scientists note that the work could have been written by the 12th century Benedictine monk Gervais, who lived in the monastery of Christ Church Cathedral, which is located in Canterbury.
The chronicle was written almost in 1200. Gervais notes that on June 7, 1195, “an incredible portent descended from the sky near London.” Because of him, a huge fireball fell directly from the sky into the river.
Experts compared this description with the evidence that was left later. Modern descriptions were also taken into account. They decided that the monk had the opportunity to observe an incredibly rare weather phenomenon – ball lightning.
Brian Tanner added that until today, this interesting and at the same time very dangerous phenomenon has not been fully studied. One can only guess what impression ball lightning made on the people who lived in London more than 800 years ago.
Gervais wrote that a white substance came out of a very dark cloud and began to fall to the ground in the form of a fireball. After that, the sphere began to make horizontal movements.
This description resembles those that were later written by other ancient scientists, as well as modern specialists. Until that time, it was believed that for the first time in Great Britain they talked about ball lightning after a thunderstorm in Devon, which happened at the end of October 1638.
—
Online:
Contact us: [email protected]
Our Standards, Terms of Use: Standard Terms And Conditions.