Ball Lightning

Ball lightning is a rare atmospheric phenomenon consisting of luminous spheres appearing during thunderstorms. Witnesses describe glowing balls that float through the air, sometimes passing through solid objects.

Description

Typical ball lightning is a glowing sphere from golf ball to beach ball size, colored white, yellow, orange, red, or blue. The spheres float at walking speed, lasting seconds to minutes before disappearing, sometimes explosively.

Ball lightning has reportedly entered buildings through windows and walls, rolled along floors, and bounced off surfaces.

Scientific Investigation

Ball lightning is difficult to study because it occurs randomly and briefly. In 2012, Chinese researchers accidentally recorded it with spectrographic equipment, providing the first scientific measurement.

Ball lightning represents a genuine but poorly understood natural phenomenon. Some UFO sightings may be ball lightning observations.