Extremely rare "ball lightning" phenomena caught on video.

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a video capturing what is claimed to be an extremely rare phenomenon known as ball lightning. Participants explore the nature of the phenomenon, its characteristics, and the implications of the video evidence, while also addressing the credibility and scientific understanding of ball lightning.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express skepticism about the video's authenticity, noting the lack of additional context or evidence beyond the recording.
  • There is a discussion about the nature of ball lightning, with some asserting that its existence is generally accepted in the scientific community, while others question the evidence supporting this acceptance.
  • Several participants speculate on the behavior of the object in the video, with some suggesting it appears to move with intent, while others argue that this interpretation lacks scientific grounding.
  • One participant mentions that the object in the video seems brighter than typical reports of ball lightning, indicating a potential discrepancy in expected characteristics.
  • Concerns are raised about the possibility that the video may have been digitally altered or created using CGI, referencing a previous description that suggested this possibility.
  • Historical references to earlier alleged sightings of ball lightning and their acceptance in the scientific community are discussed, with some participants drawing parallels to other phenomena like earthquake lights.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the nature of the phenomenon depicted in the video, with multiple competing views and interpretations remaining present throughout the discussion.

Contextual Notes

Some participants highlight the limitations of existing evidence for ball lightning, noting that much of the understanding is based on anecdotal reports and that definitions of the phenomenon may vary.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in unexplained phenomena, the scientific investigation of atmospheric events, and the intersection of video evidence and scientific credibility may find this discussion relevant.

ElliotSmith
Messages
167
Reaction score
104
Extremely rare ball lightning phenomena was captured on video.

 
Physics news on Phys.org
Hi, ElliotSmith!

Highly improbable. Observe the context of the video: no additional elements except the recording camera.

Greetings!
 
Nice one, but without details and some post-case investigation it's not really useful.

Please note, that 'ball lightning' is not like UFOs - they are just unexplained, but their existence is mostly accepted and considered worthy of research.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Klystron
It's hard to believe that's not a sentient being. It just trots across the track and heads off into the trees
 
rsk said:
It's hard to believe that's not a sentient being. It just trots across the track and heads off into the trees
I'm not seeing anything that implies sentience. It just moves in a more or less straight line. So what?
 
It knows exactly where it's going.
 
rsk said:
It knows exactly where it's going.

Certainly acts like somebody who has some urgent matters in the bush o0)
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Likes   Reactions: DennisN, Wrichik Basu and rsk
rsk said:
It knows exactly where it's going.
That's not an explanation of why you think that. I'll take a guess and assume that because you don't know/can't see what is making it move, you are jumping to an assumed conclusion that it is intelligence (which, note, still doesn't explain how it is moving). That's very unscientific thinking.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Vanadium 50
That'll be it, I'm sure.
 
  • #10
ElliotSmith said:
Extremely rare ball lightning
rsk said:
It knows exactly where it's going.
Rive said:
Certainly acts like somebody who has some urgent matters in the bush
Ball lightning are like Cicadas -- they stay hidden for many years, and only surface to, well, you know... :wink:
 
  • Haha
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Klystron, DennisN, rsk and 1 other person
  • #11
@ElliotSmith:

Cool video. I don't know what it is. The object seems to be far brighter than what other reports of ball lightning usually indicate (see e.g this post). At least that is my understanding of the ball lightning phenomenon.
 
  • #13
Rive said:
Nice one, but without details and some post-case investigation it's not really useful.

Please note, that 'ball lightning' is not like UFOs - they are just unexplained, but their existence is mostly accepted and considered worthy of research.

Which is funny in a couple of ways. Firstly, "unexplained" versus "unidentified", hardly a big difference. And there is very little evidence for ball lightning. Yet it is generally accepted because it doesn't imply anything "extraordinary" [a totally subjective term]. All that it took for most scientists at the time was a fuzzy photo from a Park Ranger and suddenly it was a respectable subject.

Same for earthquake lights. It was considered crackpottery until a Japanese man got a few fuzzy photos.
 
Last edited:
  • #14
onatirec said:
https://thedebrief.org/ball-lightning-and-the-unidentified-aerial-phenomena-mystery/

This site has a higher-quality version of the same video. Apparently when it was first posted in 2019 the description more clearly stated that it was in fact CGI.

One thing that caught my eye was the lightning coming from the ball. I have read many ball lightning reports and didn't remember ever hearing that claim.

It reminds me a bit of an early CGI fake of two UFOs, clearly what appear to be alien spacecraft s, flying over a vacation resort on some island. The video was very convincing at first glance. But the hardcore UFO crowd had it spotted as a fake right away. The two UFOs made banking turns as if flying aerodynamically. And everyone knows, they argued, "real UFOs" don't make banking turns. LOL! True story!
 
  • #15
This was, I believe, the first photo of alleged ball lightning, taken by a Park Ranger IIRC, that was widely reported as legitimate.

1625819857086.png

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/628709.stm

Here is another photo thought to be legit that I posted here 15 years ago LOL!
1625820125476.png

https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/scientific-facts-yet-to-be-explained.124130/post-1016112
 

Similar threads

Stargazing Macroscopic Dark Matter Revealed By Lightning
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
2K
Stargazing Lightning ball - me to analyze this rare video
  • · Replies 42 ·
2
Replies
42
Views
10K
Higher Chance to get Lightning Strike by Large Power Consumption?
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K
Ball Lightning Discussions/Anecdotes?
  • · Replies 31 ·
2
Replies
31
Views
17K
High School Questions about climate and physics
  • · Replies 31 ·
2
Replies
31
Views
5K
Graduate Ball lightning = magn. induced phosphenes?
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
5K
High School Lightning Strike or Fake? Investigating a Viral Video
  • · Replies 22 ·
Replies
22
Views
6K
Any videos of rock ground rupture of deep major faults?
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
3K
20200108 Finally some lightning
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
3K
Could ball-lightning weapons be feasible in the future?
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
3K