Long believed to be a conspiracy theory, ball lightning is an atmospheric electrical phenomenon in which a lightning flash becomes spherical and lasts much longer than the fraction of a second which regular lightning does. There is no scientific consensus on how ball lightning forms, due to the rarity of its occurrence. Harnessing the awesome power of ball lightning should be every steampunk mad scientist’s dream. The U.S. military has been trying to do just that since the ’60s, without much success.

Recently, a scientist by the name of Dr Paul Koloc and his company Prometheus II tried to create stable “magnetoplasmoids,” which are thought to be similar to self-contained ball lightning. Under the right conditions, these stable “plasmoids” could be compressed, accelerated and directed to specific targets. Their most promising area of work is in anti-missile applications, because “magnetoplasmoids” generate a large electromagnetic pulse capable of frying guidance systems and other electronics in addition to causing physical damage from the intense heat.

Now consider the possibilities if a Victorian era scientist experimenting with electricity were to harness this phenomenon. Electromagnetic Pulse Rifles for the gentleman sports hunter and whole arrays of large scale machines used by military fleets would be within the realm of possibility!