Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => The Environment => Topic started by: Mark Clare on 19/05/2010 13:30:02

Title: What causes this kind of lightning?
Post by: Mark Clare on 19/05/2010 13:30:02

Mark Clare  asked the Naked Scientists:
   
I have just a moment ago finished watching a recent BBC special titled "lost land of the jaguar: part 1".  Near the end of this program at 57:58 by the the version I have there is a flash of lightning at which point a glowing sphere moves rapidly down along the side of a cliff, I have watched this moment many times over and am wondering if i am seeing something even they missed as they make no mention of it in the special.  

Not sure if you even would be interested but I thought i would try to get someone who knows more than i do to take a look at this.

What do you think?

Title: What causes this kind of lightning?
Post by: LeeE on 19/05/2010 14:21:30

I can't find that program on the BBC site; it doesn't appear to be in todays schedule and isn't currently available on Iplayer either so I can't check it for myself, but it sounds as though it may be Ball Lightning

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_lightning (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_lightning)

Title: What causes this kind of lightning?
Post by: imatfaal on 19/05/2010 14:56:11

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-2397980252131772176#docid=-6122643334854272061

I am not sure was it is - quality is so shaky and so quick.  57:58 in this version as well - blink and you will miss it

Title: What causes this kind of lightning?
Post by: echochartruse on 26/05/2010 19:40:40

Quote from: http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2010/05/17/2899845.htm

Scientists found when the magnetic fields are focused on the visual cortex, the induced eddies cause people to think they're seeing lights that look like discs and lines.

Some say it is all in the mind.... I've watched ball lightning for 2 hours once, I must have been brain dead to do it. It was Christmas eve, rainy and I truely thought it was hugh christmas lights flashing about 40km away on a hill I could see across the valley.
2 hours?
The next day I judged where the lights were coming from only to find it high in the sky, definately not christmas lights.
Then 2 years later an entire line of traffic was stopped on the coast near there because of this ball lightening.
How can so many people have the same vision? How can it be photographed if people only think they are seeing it?