Lightning ball - me to analyze this rare video

[infinitebubble]

https://weather.com/news/news/ball-lightning-seen-first-time-20140120

Why such controversy on this subject? Already proven ball lightning exists and been recorded by scientists?

 

[Toreno]

Hi everyone!

Thank you Jim for reopening the thread. It was just before my vacation when started the thread. After returned to home, it was already closed. Now I am waiting for someone who asked me to reopen the thread. He wanted to share additional material / explanation.

And of course, big thank you for all who replied with their thoughts. Sure, I agree - a bug flying in front of some light or a firefly is the most probable explanation. Especially that the video was recorded on July 16 - it is fireflies activity time.

That was my first thought. However, would anyone react saying "wow" after seeing usual bug? Why the girl behind is asking him "are you all right"? Did she also seen this? Or is it a coincident? If she really seen this, it must be much further from the camera.

On the other hand, if you volume up the video, you will hear a three strikes at the same time. Again, if they are somehow correlated, the event must happened very close.

That is why I was so curious about this video. For now, no better and yet rational explanation but a bug (or firefly).

Cheers,
Toreno

 

[Orodruin]

https://weather.com/news/news/ball-lightning-seen-first-time-20140120

Why such controversy on this subject? Already proven ball lightning exists and been recorded by scientists?

The discussion is not about whether or not the phenomenon exists or not. The question is if the particular video in the OP shows the phenomenon or not - the answer to which should be "inconclusive".

 

[slufoot]

once i wife and friend were sitting in kitchen middle of equipment yard lighting hit 80 foot crane then came out of toaster as a red/gold orb and left the house by opening the screen door 15 ft away.

 

[Davedavedave]

Hello I read that with great attention, after watching the video at 0.25X speed and pause a lot here's what I've found:
Around 0m35 you can clearly see a small dark object falling straight "from the sky" not far from the point of view, then "igniting" and going down on a left curve toward the bottom of the scene (the light changes in size) and it's definitively moving in front of the trees, so it's not a faraway object and appears small in size. Clearly not some sort of lightning.
here's a composite image of the trajectory of the "object"

my take is that it's a firefly or someone threw a cigarette, or something got caught in some light.
(I almost see another similar object falling but not igniting on the right of this object but not sure)

 

[Mike Garrett]

As someone who has actually experienced a ball-lightning strike, I am amazed at how sceptical some people can be. As a twelve-year-old, looking into my garden through the French windows, I watched our chimney land in the garden at the same time as a massive bang. I lived opposite my school and several classmates and a teacher described a 'ball of lightning' that bounced along the tops of several trees before crashing into our chimney. Anybody who has done any arc welding has observed the short-lived little plasma balls that sizzle around during the process. Why are bigger plasma balls so unlikely from the massive wattage created by electrical storms?

 

[Orodruin]

Again, the question is not one of whether ball lightning exists or not. It is whether or not the video in the OP is showing a ball lightning phenomenon.

I also remind you all that this thread has been inactive for almost 4 years.

 

[stefan r]

As someone who has actually experienced a ball-lightning strike, I am amazed at how sceptical some people can be. As a twelve-year-old, looking into my garden through the French windows, I watched our chimney land in the garden at the same time as a massive bang. I lived opposite my school and several classmates and a teacher described a 'ball of lightning' that bounced along the tops of several trees before crashing into our chimney. Anybody who has done any arc welding has observed the short-lived little plasma balls that sizzle around during the process. Why are bigger plasma balls so unlikely from the massive wattage created by electrical storms?

I had a welder certificate. The balls that bounce around are made of steel and/or slag.