The Mystery of Ball Lightning
Explore the strange glowing orbs that float through walls and baffle scientists. Learn about the history, sightings, and the science behind this rare weather phenomenon.
Like Duolingo, but for The Mystery of Ball Lightning. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
54 levels across 4 sections, about 108 minutes end to end, roughly 22 days at five minutes a day. It moves through What is Ball Lightning, How It Behaves, Scientific Theories, and Studying the Unbelievable. It starts from scratch.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in The Mystery of Ball Lightning
- Ball lightning typically appears as a floating, glowing sphere
- It moves independently of wind or gravity, often horizontally
- The phenomenon is extremely rare and unpredictable in nature
- It is difficult to reliably reproduce the exact conditions in a laboratory setting
- Standard lightning is a near-instantaneous discharge
- Ball lightning persists significantly longer than a cloud-to-ground strike
- Defining physical characteristics of a ball lightning event
- Ball lightning is most commonly reported during or after thunderstorms
- Reports include orbs entering houses through windows or appearing inside aircraft
- Why ball lightning is difficult to categorize scientifically
- Duration of ball lightning compared to standard lightning
- Common environments where orbs are reported
- Ball lightning involves ionized air particles
- Plasma is the state of matter associated with electrical discharges
- Standard lightning follows a path of least resistance to the ground
- Ball lightning can move horizontally and independently of gravity
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives The Mystery of Ball Lightning the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
If a glowing ball of lightning floated into your room, what shape would it most likely be?
Get it right to open this lesson and 53 more in the app.
How to learn The Mystery of Ball Lightning, step by step
Go in order. 54 short levels across 4 sections, about 1 hour 48 minutes in all, five minutes a day.
- 1
What is Ball Lightning?
- The Glowing Orb Mystery
- How It Differs from Regular Lightning
- Famous Sightings Through History
- Common Shapes and Colors
- 2
How It Behaves
- Floating and Moving Through Air
- Passing Through Glass and Walls
- The Sounds and Smells It Leaves Behind
- How Long Does It Last?
- How It Finally Disappears
- Is It Dangerous to Humans?
- 3
Scientific Theories
- The Vaporized Dirt Theory
- Electricity Trapped in a Bubble
- Microwaves and Hidden Energy
- 4
Studying the Unbelievable
- Trying to Make It in a Lab
- Capturing It on Camera
- The Future of Lightning Research
- Why It Remains a Secret of Nature
- How to Report a Sighting
4 sections · 18 units · 54 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
Questions about The Mystery of Ball Lightning
How do I learn The Mystery of Ball Lightning?
Go in order: start with What is Ball Lightning?, then How It Behaves, then Scientific Theories, then Studying the Unbelievable. On Tomo that's 54 short levels, about 1 hour 48 minutes in all, played five minutes a day. Start free and play the first level in under a minute.
Is there a Duolingo-style app for The Mystery of Ball Lightning?
Yes. Tomo works like Duolingo: short daily lessons, streaks and quick quizzes. The Mystery of Ball Lightning is one of its free courses, and you can type any other topic to get a course of your own.
Is The Mystery of Ball Lightning free?
Yes. The Mystery of Ball Lightning is playable on Tomo's free plan, which doesn't expire. No credit card, no waitlist. Download the app and start your first lesson.
How long does it take to learn The Mystery of Ball Lightning?
54 levels across 4 sections, about 1 hour 48 minutes of play in total. It's built for five minutes a day, so you finish it a little at a time instead of all at once.
Do I need any background to start The Mystery of Ball Lightning?
No. It's pitched at a beginner level, so it starts where you are and builds up. If you can tap a phone, you can start.
Tomo is in ChatGPT
Tomo is also a ChatGPT plugin: the same playable courses, built and played inside your chat.
Add Tomo to ChatGPT- What to ask
- “Make me a Tomo course on black holes.” “Turn this chat into a Tomo course.”
- What you get
- Quick questions with instant feedback, hearts and stars, ready to play in about a minute.
- Where it goes
- No sign-up to start. Connect your Tomo account and your streak carries on in the app.
You pick the voice
The Mystery of Ball Lightning is taught in the Explain Like I'm 5 style: no big words. promise.. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start The Mystery of Ball Lightning today.
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