Flash of light

[CTorres84]

It happened about a month ago some time around late morning\ early afternoon.  It was another hot summer day very few clouds if any. I walked out my front door where my dog Twix greeted me, i gave him a pat on the head and walked down the steps to my front porch.  As I stepped off the last step onto the paved walk way I was blinded by a quick flash of light, like it completely surrounded me and it was extremely bright.  It didn't hurt my eyes and didn't feel like i was in any danger.  I even looked back at my dog and he gave me a look like WTF was that, he tilted his head with ears standing alert.  I thought WTH just happen, did I just get struck by the weakest lighting bolt in history?  I shook it off and went on with my day.  A few days later I got home from work and my son and wife told me they seen a flash of light on the back porch (which is covered) and again during mid day.':'. Not sure what it was, any suggestions?

[+Desertrat56]

4 hours ago, CTorres84 said:

It happened about a month ago some time around late morning\ early afternoon.  It was another hot summer day very few clouds if any. I walked out my front door where my dog Twix greeted me, i gave him a pat on the head and walked down the steps to my front porch.  As I stepped off the last step onto the paved walk way I was blinded by a quick flash of light, like it completely surrounded me and it was extremely bright.  It didn't hurt my eyes and didn't feel like i was in any danger.  I even looked back at my dog and he gave me a look like WTF was that, he tilted his head with ears standing alert.  I thought WTH just happen, did I just get struck by the weakest lighting bolt in history?  I shook it off and went on with my day.  A few days later I got home from work and my son and wife told me they seen a flash of light on the back porch (which is covered) and again during mid day.':'. Not sure what it was, any suggestions?

What part of the country do you live in?  Are you near an Air force Base?

[CTorres84]

Not sure what would be considered close.  There's a air force base probably 25 miles away. Also I live in a mobile home park and my neighbor is relatively close to back of my home and also a huge tree between our lots provides shade over my back porch.

[quiXilver]

It happened to my wife and I in our kitchen, mid-day.  It was spontaneous, utterly blinding.  For me, it lasted for a couple heartbeats, it was instantaneous for my gal and though it blinded us both with pure white light, there was no pain and no 'afterflash'. 

In the Longmen Pai tradition of Neigong it's known as “the striking of Ling” - it begins in the inner vision and then usually manifests as something like a lightning strike in front of the person experiencing it - and it’s completely visible to witnesses.  It's present in all traditions.  It's a very good thing in my experience.

As described to me, it is the start of the stage after the blissful awakening stage. Equivalent to achieving (an experience of) 2nd Jhanna

[+joc]

sun reflecting off of someone's mirror or chrome...like a mirror signal that hits you in the eye...

[MissJatti]

Something like this happened to me a few times, it looked just like bright half seconded flashes across the horizon. The bright eye filling flash appears to be coming high up in the sky or behind me in some distance.

I just dismissed it as lightening

[ChrLzs]

Possibly a transformer explosion - one of them boxes that are stuck on the side of power poles.  When they fail, and it happens reasonably frequently, you get a fair bit of noise, but much, much light in a very bright flash.  If it's within a kilometer or so, it can still be very bright but you won't hear the bang.

Go to 2:05..  

Sometimes it's slow, but others.. it just goes bang...

[+joc]

On 10/7/2021 at 11:01 PM, ChrLzs said:

Possibly a transformer explosion - one of them boxes that are stuck on the side of power poles.  When they fail, and it happens reasonably frequently, you get a fair bit of noise, but much, much light in a very bright flash.  If it's within a kilometer or so, it can still be very bright but you won't hear the bang.

Go to 2:05..  

Sometimes it's slow, but others.. it just goes bang...

Interesting...all the criticism of Texas Electrical Grid...I have never even heard of a transformer falling off of a pole, or a pole falling for that matter...maybe in a tornado or hurricane but 'reasonably frequently'?  Wow...oh wait...geeze...I forgot....that happens 'reasonably frequently' in third world countries...my bad...continue on...

I keep forgetting not everyone lives in TEXAS...

[psyche101]

5 minutes ago, joc said:

Interesting...all the criticism of Texas Electrical Grid...I have never even heard of a transformer falling off of a pole, or a pole falling for that matter...maybe in a tornado or hurricane but 'reasonably frequently'?  Wow...oh wait...geeze...I forgot....that happens 'reasonably frequently' in third world countries...my bad...continue on...

I keep forgetting not everyone lives in TEXAS...

Dude.

Don't be so tender. It's not criticism. Transformers are oil filled and they fail from time to time just like any manufactured product. Happens all the time everywhere. It's not an insult, it's just a possibility. They are as bright as lightning so it's a plausible hypothesis.

He said fail, not fall. Yes, it's not unusual even on this incredible paradise we call Australia. Not really any different to a car break down. They happen. One of my mates is on an Energex repair crew that goes around in storms fixing Transformers that have failed or struck by lighting. I suspect Texas would have such a department too.

[+joc]

19 hours ago, psyche101 said:

Dude.

Don't be so tender. It's not criticism. Transformers are oil filled and they fail from time to time just like any manufactured product. Happens all the time everywhere. It's not an insult, it's just a possibility. They are as bright as lightning so it's a plausible hypothesis.

He said fail, not fall. Yes, it's not unusual even on this incredible paradise we call Australia. Not really any different to a car break down. They happen. One of my mates is on an Energex repair crew that goes around in storms fixing Transformers that have failed or struck by lighting. I suspect Texas would have such a department too.

Oh wow...I really do need to get my eyes checked.   Mmmm...still...Texas Transformers don't fail.  Know why?  Because we actually have the money to take care of the infrastructure because we didn't spend it on fuel for the grid that we won't need for a hundred years.  

We have state of the art everything in Texas homie.  You got to come to Texas...it should be on your bucket list if you do that sort of thing.  I don't have any places I want to go listed because...well...dude...I live in Texas.    Man you should see the road construction crews tearing up the tundra and putting it the new toll way that's going right through my tiny little town...Sinacola and Sons...it's mighty impressive I have to say.  When Australia starts to sink because of Global Warming...come to Texas! 

Edited October 13, 2021 by joc

[+Desertrat56]

14 minutes ago, joc said:

Oh wow...I really do need to get my eyes checked.   Mmmm...still...Texas Transformers don't fail.  Know why?  Because we actually have the money to take care of the infrastructure because we didn't spend it on fuel for the grid that we won't need for a hundred years.  

We have state of the art everything in Texas homie.  You got to come to Texas...it should be on your bucket list if you do that sort of thing.  I don't have any places I want to go listed because...well...dude...I live in Texas.    Man you should see the road construction crews tearing up the tundra and putting it the new toll way that's going right through my tiny little town...Sinacola and Sons...it's mighty impressive I have to say.  When Australia starts to sink because of Global Warming...come to Texas! 

That isn't always true.  I remember one day coming back from work and seeing a lighting like flash and a fire.  We ran over to see where it was.  A transformer had blown up and the whole block was out.  It took Oncore 3 days to get it fixed, so we had 3 days off, having to call twice a day to see if the building had power yet.   That was in Plano on the edge of Dallas and Carrolton.

[+joc]

2 hours ago, Desertrat56 said:

That isn't always true.  I remember one day coming back from work and seeing a lighting like flash and a fire.  We ran over to see where it was.  A transformer had blown up and the whole block was out.  It took Oncore 3 days to get it fixed, so we had 3 days off, having to call twice a day to see if the building had power yet.   That was in Plano on the edge of Dallas and Carrolton.

Yeah...well...Plano is kind of a Third World Country all by itself.

Usually they don't fail though.  They put lightning rods on either side of the transformer to keep that from happening. ...mostly when lightning strikes occur it trips a breaker inside the transformer.  And depending where you are, they can reset the transformer from their office.  But we live in the boonies so...the other night we had a major storm.  We watched it come in and the very first close lightning strike...schwooooomz...no more power...it was off for about 3 hours.

 

[psyche101]

2 hours ago, joc said:

Oh wow...I really do need to get my eyes checked.   Mmmm...still...Texas Transformers don't fail.  Know why?  Because we actually have the money to take care of the infrastructure because we didn't spend it on fuel for the grid that we won't need for a hundred years.  

Of course they fail. Every machine does. Money or age isn't a factor in a storm. 

Did you know transformers are actually made to he overloaded? 

And it doesn't matter how new it is. The transformer can fail because a lightning strike downstream a direct hit by lightning or a car taking a pole down can all cause a short circuit that will cause a transformer to fail. 

Wouldn't be more system of the art than what we have. We are a world leader in energy technologies. At best Texas might be equivalent to Australia. Nice that you can understand what I'm talking about though. 

Quote

We have state of the art everything in Texas homie.  You got to come to Texas...it should be on your bucket list if you do that sort of thing.  I don't have any places I want to go listed because...well...dude...I live in Texas. 

Not sure I'd visit Texas with the new open carry laws.  in fact I can't see that being good for tourism at all. 

Quote

  Man you should see the road construction crews tearing up the tundra and putting it the new toll way that's going right through my tiny little town...Sinacola and Sons...it's mighty impressive I have to say.  When Australia starts to sink because of Global Warming...come to Texas! 

I'll be right. I built a house at 75m above sea level. I'm kinda hoping for global warming so I get a beachfront property out of it. 

Otherwise Ive always got Uluru to camp on. We got this covered bro. 

That's my bag Bro. Large construction. You should see the stuff we have at Curragh Coal Mine. You could build a block of flats in some of those dragline buckets. Port of Brisbane is spectacular these days with all the new land keeping me busy with jetties new estates and warehouses. I'm currently working on designs for the new Brisbane electric bus station which is huge, several acres of maintenance cleaning mechanical and charging stations. Entire transformers dedicated to high voltage charging. I get to have a hand in engineering this stuff. Man I love my job. I get to see all this unfold and even get up front and personal with it. 

[psyche101]

2 minutes ago, joc said:

Yeah...well...Plano is kind of a Third World Country all by itself.

Usually they don't fail though.  They put lightning rods on either side of the transformer to keep that from happening. ...mostly when lightning strikes occur it trips a breaker inside the transformer.  And depending where you are, they can reset the transformer from their office.  But we live in the boonies so...the other night we had a major storm.  We watched it come in and the very first close lightning strike...schwooooomz...no more power...it was off for about 3 hours.

 

The transformer should have a full earth grid around it to redirect the voltage. And surge diverters.

[ChrLzs]

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/15/rolling-blackouts-texas/

https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/h9re5/power_transformer_explosions_in_ft_worth_tx_what/

https://www.kltv.com/2019/04/18/videos-shows-aerial-display-transformers-blow/

 

 

[+joc]

11 hours ago, psyche101 said:

Of course they fail. Every machine does. Money or age isn't a factor in a storm. 

Did you know transformers are actually made to he overloaded? 

And it doesn't matter how new it is. The transformer can fail because a lightning strike downstream a direct hit by lightning or a car taking a pole down can all cause a short circuit that will cause a transformer to fail. 

Wouldn't be more system of the art than what we have. We are a world leader in energy technologies. At best Texas might be equivalent to Australia. Nice that you can understand what I'm talking about though. 

Not sure I'd visit Texas with the new open carry laws.  in fact I can't see that being good for tourism at all. 

I'll be right. I built a house at 75m above sea level. I'm kinda hoping for global warming so I get a beachfront property out of it. 

Otherwise Ive always got Uluru to camp on. We got this covered bro. 

That's my bag Bro. Large construction. You should see the stuff we have at Curragh Coal Mine. You could build a block of flats in some of those dragline buckets. Port of Brisbane is spectacular these days with all the new land keeping me busy with jetties new estates and warehouses. I'm currently working on designs for the new Brisbane electric bus station which is huge, several acres of maintenance cleaning mechanical and charging stations. Entire transformers dedicated to high voltage charging. I get to have a hand in engineering this stuff. Man I love my job. I get to see all this unfold and even get up front and personal with it. 

If you think Texas is equivalent to Australia...at least in that regard...then I can wholeheartedly understand your Nationalistic Pride!  

Don't tell anybody this but,  one of the reasons we changed our gun laws was to dissuade tourism.  We don't need it for one thing but the other thing is that people who visit have a tendency to stay.  They all seem to want to go out and by a bumper sticker that says, I wasn't born in Texas but I got here as fast as I could!

  Curragh Coal Mine....Firstly, OMG you have a coal mine!  Nooooooo...that is sooooooo wrong bro!  Close it immediately and start building wind farms with solar panels!!

Secondly, and seriously, WOW...I googled it...down in BlackWater...that's pretty incredible.  

I don't know jack about electricity.  All I know about transformers is what my neighbor told me.  He is retired Navy and that's kind of what he did his whole career.  I know enough not to get killed by it...now that the AC man told me to leave AC repair to a professional, that a fraction of an amp could kill me....mmmm hmmmm    I drive by a Grid every day on my way to work...I'll take a picture for you.

...and so...if Texas is equivalent to Australia...I'm sure you guys have some pretty impressive landfills.  So here is one of my favorite songs dedicated to large construction:

 

[+Desertrat56]

13 hours ago, joc said:

Yeah...well...Plano is kind of a Third World Country all by itself.

Usually they don't fail though.  They put lightning rods on either side of the transformer to keep that from happening. ...mostly when lightning strikes occur it trips a breaker inside the transformer.  And depending where you are, they can reset the transformer from their office.  But we live in the boonies so...the other night we had a major storm.  We watched it come in and the very first close lightning strike...schwooooomz...no more power...it was off for about 3 hours.

 

It wasn't a lightning strike.  The transformer blew up and what looked like lightening came from that up the wires.   This happened a short time after they got rid of TXU and I suspect Oncore had not gotten to that area to inspect the transformers.

Edited October 14, 2021 by Desertrat56