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Ball Lightning Resources/Info


make me believe

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Hello,

I was wondering if there are any good resources to learn more about ball lightning.

ball-lightning-french-illustration_20333_600x450.jpg

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Amazing how we invented nuclear weapons, as well as missiles to deliver them across the globe with the press of a button, but we still don't know what the **** ball lightning is.

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Its only been replicated in the lab so far and only briefly. Its very unpredictable and apparently eerie to watch. My dad once told me he saw a ball of lightening about 50cm in diameter, it followed the power lines before making a sharp turn, actually passed through one side of a barn and then exploded through the other side.

I don't have any theories as to how its formed, but it must be attracted to electrically charged objects and probably influenced by magnetic fields. I reckon solar activity could play a part, but that's only a guess. I do think quite a few UFO reports could be explained by this, however.

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It isn't known if the electrical effects that resemble ball lightning, which have been created in laboratories, are truly the same phenomenon, although it this isn't a bad conjecture. We know very little about ball lightning, mainly because of its unpredictability, and short duration. Because of this, it does not lend itself to scientific examination. Rather a similar set of circumstances to that of UFOs. The Wikipedia article calls it a 'hypothetical atmospheric electrical phenomenon', and adds that: ' Until recently, ball lightning was often regarded as a fantasy or a hoax, but some serious scientific discussions and theories have attempted to explain it.'

Edited by bison
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Interesting video. Good catch. (BTW, what were the little sparkly things flying past?) I grew up in WV and we saw ball lightning not infrequently. The event would usually last for several seconds with the plasma ball "bouncing" down a mountain side, or just floating along; sometimes running along a powerline as mentioned above. Always awe inspiring and just a little frightening.

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Interesting video. Good catch. (BTW, what were the little sparkly things flying past?) I grew up in WV and we saw ball lightning not infrequently. The event would usually last for several seconds with the plasma ball "bouncing" down a mountain side, or just floating along; sometimes running along a powerline as mentioned above. Always awe inspiring and just a little frightening.

Agreed, very cool video. The sparkly things are from the camp fire that you can hear crackling in the background. :tu:

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Interesting indeed. The video looks like you were enjoying a very cosy campfire evening. :)

I've always wondered about the way ball-lightning supposedly acts - physical things such as bouncing and rolling. Seems to give the 'ball' some sort of density, which I imagine pure electricity would not have? Perhaps though, it's just the impression it gives?

My Grandad once gave me a very detailed story of his sighting of ball lightning - whereby it entered his house! Would always be interested in reading more about this phenomenon...

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Its only been replicated in the lab so far and only briefly. Its very unpredictable and apparently eerie to watch. My dad once told me he saw a ball of lightening about 50cm in diameter, it followed the power lines before making a sharp turn, actually passed through one side of a barn and then exploded through the other side.

I don't have any theories as to how its formed, but it must be attracted to electrically charged objects and probably influenced by magnetic fields. I reckon solar activity could play a part, but that's only a guess. I do think quite a few UFO reports could be explained by this, however.

I'll give ya a hint....silicon is involved in the formation of alot of ball lightning.

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Sorry people, I should have made it clear, that's not my video, I just found it on youtube. (I thought I had typed in a short comment underneath it but it's not there?)

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Bwahahah, I thought at first the campfire sparks were being pawned off as the "ball lightning". Glad I kept watching.

My GGma told a story about ball lightning traveling down a clothes line (not metal) and hitting a pony she had tied to it. Killed the pony instantly and melted the horse shoes off it's hooves.

My gran was not prone to exaggeration. She had just walked out on the back porch, said her hair stood on end and there was a buzzing, crackling sound and here it came down the clothes line and hit the pony. She said it had been lightning but was fairly far off, it just kind of appeared out of nowhere.

Strange stuff.

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The correct wording is you don't know what that was...not to make a statement of fact that it is ball lightning...you have no idea...a bright light appearing and then disappearing is just that with a variety of possible explanations.

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  • 1 month later...

I have actually seen ball lightning and it didn't look anything like whats on the video. Sorry I may be wrong there might be different kinds of ball lightning which would make my accessment moot!

What I saw was an actual ball of electricity come down from low clouds. It changed colors as it decended. I can't remember in which order they were but the colors were red,orange & blue. Like I said it came down from low hanging coulds and struck an old power pole in my back yard.

This was a very big lightninig storm with lots of lightning.

This happened in Arlington WA,summer 1978.

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