Ball Lightning and UFOs.

[karl 12]

BALL LIGHTNING does not look like "lightning." Instead, it usually appears as a mysterious glowing sphere which drifts horizontally through the air. It is typically the size of a grapefruit, but sometimes appears as small as a pea, or as large as a bus. It sometime hovers at a few feet or tens of feet altitude, but can also bounce along the ground. It usually lasts only a few seconds, but sometimes persists much longer.

Link

Does Ball lightning account for some UFO sightings?

The phenomenon itself appears to be a pretty controversial one within mainstream science but it refers to luminous, (mostly) spherical objects which vary in size and 'move up, down, sideways or in unpredictable trajectories' - some ball lightning accounts also describe it moving through solid masses of wood or metal without effect and other witnesses report a strange smell like ozone or burning sulphur.

There are some pretty remarkable interviews in the Arthur C. Clarke documentary below with people who claim to have experienced ball lightning and some of their observations do share certain characteristics with UFO testimony:

Interviews at 7:25

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE2EW3mupSk

Followed on here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcrkTrIkMoM

Description:

Visual sightings are often accompanied by sound, odor, and other natural and unnatural phenomenon. Most are accompanied by a loud humming. Sometimes ball lightnings are reported to emit a hissing sound. Many observers report a distinctive odor accompanying ball lightning. The odor is usually described as sharp and repugnant, resembling ozone, burning sulphur, or nitric oxide.

Many eyewitness accounts describe its movement as having the characteristics of an intelligence guiding it. It often enters structures through windows or doors, though it seems to have no difficulty passing through solid walls. It travels down hallways and up and down stairs and other lines of logical access and egress within structures. It pauses at objects and living things as though observing them. It has been described as similar to remote reconnaissance drones portrayed in science fiction movies.

A diameter of 6-18 inches is the most common size, although reports range from ½ inch up to 50 feet in width. They are luminous and spherical in shape and come in a rainbow of colors, often changing color many times during a single event. They do not seem to do a great deal of harm, although in their exits, they sometimes explode which can cause damage. They have even been sighted in aircraft flying in clear skies and on marine vessels without a cloud in sight.

Reports

Articles:

A Social History of Ball Lightning. Martin Shough

Unfriendly Fire - Ball Lightning and UFOs

Spectre in the sky - The evidence for ball lightning

[psyche101]

I agree with you Karl, it could only account for some sightings, definitely not all.

Very interesting on the links, thanks, I will finish them later today.

[karl 12]

Psyche, thanks for the reply and there's some pretty darn interesting reading at the links - there's also a bit of a crazy ball lightning incident described here from on board an aircraft in 1963 where a professor and an air stewardess witnessed a 'perfectly symmetrical glowing white blue sphere' emerge from the pilot's cabin and travel down the aisle of the aircraft before disappearing out through the toilet compartment!

Cheers.

[Ignus Fatuus]

Though I prefer the name Earthlights, thanks for the info!!! Especially the interview ... been researching these lights for years and any new link is always useful and thanks!!!

[karl 12]

Ignus, no probs matey -there's an interesting National Geographic article here on the subject but I think the first sentence just about sums it up.

"There's certainly no consensus. I don't think that anyone knows what it is," said Graham K. Hubler, a physicist at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C...

While some skeptics remain, there is significant observational evidence for ball lightning's existence.

"There are around 10,000 written accounts of observations covering many countries with similar properties recurring in many observations," said John Abrahamson, a professor of chemistry at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand.

"All this points to a phenomenon which is repeatable and justifies a single label."

Thousands of eyewitnesses have described seeing a floating, glowing ball similar to a tennis ball or even a beach ball..

Link

Cheers.

[Ignus Fatuus]

Ignus, no probs matey -there's an interesting National Geographic article here on the subject but I think the first sentence just about sums it up.

Link

Cheers.

Even though I have already frequented that link ... thanks very much!!!

I sent you a message and I am certain that if you want some info that I have no doubt you have never seen that you will reply.

I stopped fishing years ago ... about the same time that I started to research my experiences. Persinger, Devereax and many other noted scientists have also spent a lifetime trying to figure out this "bump in the night".

Most people only get to see this phenomenon once in their lifetime. I have had five experiences, mostly due to the land that I am on ... and that is a theory unto itself.

I have just on occassion frequented this forum on this website ... maybe I can learn a few things here if others will spare their time.

Quaere verum ... seek the truth.

[karl 12]

Hey Ignus, thanks for the reply - this realy does seem to be a pretty freaky phenomenon and will certainly try to look into the work of the people you mention - I don't know if you've read any of the atmospherical physics papers authored by Dr James E. Mcdonald but he makes some very interesting comments in this CASI report about Corona, Ball Lightning and Plasma-UFOs:

UFOs -- An International Scientific Problem

Also, when it comes to unidentified aerial phenomena -I think this is one of the best interviews I've ever heard on the subject.

Cheers.

Edited May 15, 2010 by karl 12

[Hazzard]

I agree with you guys that the anomolous Eath lights, are probably the cause of some of the UFOs reported.

Not all of them though.

There could be a trillion and one explanations for something observed in the sky that the observer couldnt identify... a UFO.

Still, to make the claim that any of these weird sightings are alien in origin takes a little more

than that "If they are not ours... then they must be ET" BS we keep hearing from the believers.

Edited May 15, 2010 by Hazzard

[skyeagle409]

Still, to make the claim that any of these weird sightings are alien in origin takes a little more

than that "If they are not ours... then they must be ET" BS we keep hearing from the believers.

Try painting this incident as ball lightning.

[Hazzard]

Try painting it as ET only.

[skyeagle409]

Try painting it as ET only.

That's easy! We have no such craft in our inventory.

[Hazzard]

That's easy! We have no such craft in our inventory.

..as in, couldnt these be terrestrial in origin?

If not, why not?

Edited May 15, 2010 by Hazzard

[skyeagle409]

..as in, couldnt these be terrestrial in origin?

If not, why not?

It was determined that the object was under intelligent control, and from that, you can then ask the question; do we have such a craft? If not, then, the question has been answered.

[Sakari]

I am glad someone has started this topic , I very recently started reading up on this ( Thanks Ignus ) , and I find it very interesting...National Geogaphic had a very good show on them , and will re-air it...

And the ones looking at these things are not saying " ET " , I believe all of us are trying to figure out what they are....They do exist , that is for sure.....

National Gegraphic Schedule for the show

[karl 12]

Try painting this incident as ball lightning.

SkyEagle, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics came to the unanimous conclusion in this report that the object involved in the RB-47 case was not 'plasma' or 'electrical luminosity by the atmosphere' so that truly is an interesting UFO case.

As for ball lightning -it's not very long (or that impressive) but here's an interesting clip from Youtube.

Cheers.

[booNyzarC]

Very cool thread Karl! I had been considering making a similar thread before, I'm glad that there was already one in place for this intriguing phenomena.

I've posted the following video in a couple of places, but this thread seems apt as well. It isn't Ball Lightning specifically, but a different form of plasma.

Although I'd agree that this can't account for all UFO reports, I think that plasmas like this account for far more reports than people typically give it credit for.

[skyeagle409]

SkyEagle, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics came to the unanimous conclusion in this report that the object involved in the RB-47 case was not 'plasma' or 'electrical luminosity by the atmosphere' so that truly is an interesting UFO case.

As for ball lightning -it's not very long (or that impressive) but here's an interesting clip from Youtube.

Cheers.

Thank you Karl.

Yes indeed, they dismissed plasma in the RB-47 incident.

Edited January 3, 2011 by skyeagle409

[karl 12]

Thanks for the replies, I don't know if this report is down to plasma but there's an interesting document below from the archives of the Naval Security Group Command:

COMNAVSECGRU

APRIL 30, 1979

AT 220032 AUG 15 OBSVD BRIGHT WHITE LIGHT APPEARING AT BEARING 02E (TRUE NORTH), ELEVATION APPROX 15 DEGREES POSIT 6F MULLER 23 17 82 19[?]. DURING THE FIRST MIN OF OBSERVATION THE LIGHT WAS PULSATING OR FLUCTUATING IN BRIGHTNESS AT APPROX ONE SECOND INTERVALS. FOR THE NEXT TWO MINS OF OBSERVATION THE LIGHT BEGAN PULSATING CONCENTRIC RINGS OF LIGHT WHICH FLOWED FROM THE CENTRAL (S) SOURCE IN A RIPPLING, SHIMMERING FASHION DIMINISHING IN BRIGHTNESS AS THEY DREW FURTHER AND FURTHER AWAY FROM THE ORIGINATING SOURCE.DURING THE FOURTH MINS OF OBSERVATION A BLUISH GREEN BEAM OF LIGHT APPEARED FROM THE CENTRAL CORE OF THE CONFIGURATION, EXTENDING OUTWARD AND DOWNWARD TO THE LEFT AT AN ANGLE OF APPROX 45 DEGREES, AND REACHING TO THE FADE OUT POINT OF THE RADIATING RINGS OF LIGHT. APPROX FIVE MINUTES AFTER THE APPEARANCE OF THE BLUISH-GREEN BEAM (SIMILAR IN APPEARANCE TO A SEARCHLIGHT BEAM), THE RADIATIVE CIRCLES OF LIGHT DISAPPEARED, LEAVING ONLY THE CORE OF LIGHT AND THE COLORED BEAM. FOLLOWING THE DISAPEARANCE OF THE CIRCLES, THE BEAM SEEMED TO RETRACT TOWARDS THE CENTRAL CORE, GROWING BROADER AND STOUTER AS IT RETRACTED.FINALLY, THE BEAM AND CORE SEEMED TO FORM INTO A NEBULOUS CLOUD-SHAPED MASS, WHICH DRIFTED SOUTH ON THE WIND, FADING FROM VIEW AFTER APPROX 14 MINS. DURING THE EVENT, THE FOLLOWING ATMOSPHERIC DATA WAS ACCUMULATED: BAROMETER 29.95, TEMPERATURE - 83 DEGREES DRY 178 DEGREES WET. VISIBILITY EXCELLENT, FOUR TENTHS CLOUD COVER (STRATUS AND CUMULUS) WIND E X N.S. AT 12 KTS, ELECTRICAL STORM FORMING OVER IMMEDIATE AREA OF CITY OF HAVANA.

link

Cheers.