I Witnessed Ball Lightning (circa 1951)

[Brig]

I thought perhaps I had already reported on this. If so it must have been elsewhere. This all happen roughly 65 years ago so my memories of it may not be perfect. I lived in a relatively new house (for the time) that had an unattached wooden two stall garage (built for carriages not cars}. The house was, at that time, on the very edge of a rural area. In front of our house was a paved road but beyond that was fields, meadows, hills and orchard. It was getting late in the day around 4 in the afternoon, my mother was awaiting the arrival of Dad and gossiping with neighbors on the front porch. I had been riding my bicycle and was standing on the front lawn beside the driveway to the garage. I noticed it seemed to be getting awfully dark and upon looking up realized a very black rolling clouds were coming in from the south very fast. Calling attention to the fact to the group on the porch, they all quickly saw the problem and made fast time getting to their homes before the storm let loss. My mother suggested I put the bicycle away and come in. Should have thought of that myself but was too fascinated by the ring and boiling and rolling clouds, I w3alked the bike to the rear of the house and just as I cleared the corner, I looked up and saw what looked like a ball, a clear ball, about the size of a basketball and glowing come swooping out of that black sky. It hit first and bounced like a ball in our neighbors yeard and continued bouncing across our neighbors yards and our yard until it hit a barbed wire fence in the rear of our lot which resulted in a short flash and was gone. I was so mesmerized I got plenty wet before I had sense enough to leave the bike beside the house and go in.

 

[Mythopoeika]

What do you think it was that you saw?
A clear ball that bounced and then disappeared in a flash... was that a ball of plasma?

 

[Brig]

I consider myself lucky to have seen this sight. I was about 12 at the time, and extremely interested in Astronomy. It made quite an impression on me. I have no idea what it was except I knew it was what is called "ball Lightning" because I had read about it in an old story book. No I don't recall the books title other than it was a story about the old south. The "ball" had a definite border, it glowed with a bluish light. It bounced lightly across two back yards and into a barb wire fence. I do not remember it making any noise even when it discharged on the fence. But perhaps I just don't remember any sound above the wind and coming rain.

 

[Brig]

Actually, thinking back on it. I would have to say the "ball lightning" was probably a ball of plasma held together with static electricity. I do figure that anyone who touched such a ball would be burned if not electrocuted. Yet in my readings about the phenomena over the years it appears that ball lightning will veer away from people, kinda like positive charge repels a negative charge. They have been reported to float through glass windows and pull other weird tricks. Fascinating things and Im just glad to have actually seem one. It's not something you'll likely ever forget.

 

[rynner2]

Yet in my readings about the phenomena over the years it appears that ball lightning will veer away from people, kinda like positive charge repels a negative charge.

Unlike charges attract, like charges repel, actually.

 

[Brig]

Sorry about that. You are right. But you get the jist of what I am saying, I hope.