Ball Lighting
About five years ago, on a windy but rainless day, I was fetching myself some food in the kitchen when a blinding flash appeared out the corner of my eye. I turned to witness a rapidly diminishing blue ball of light hovering in mid-air, accompanied by a electrical "pvooof!" sound as it disappeared. The light it cast didn't strike me as particularly bright, but my mother immediately came running, having seen it shining into the garden which she had been observing from the window upstairs - she thought I'd been electrocuted.

I explained the situation and eventually drew this:


( Digeridude Lord Wellington's Beef Trapeze, Fri 4 Jul 2008, 15:31, 7 replies)

Ball lightning
is fascinating, especially as there is as yet no definitive explanation of its origin or form.

Your picture reminds me of the British Gas adverts though! : )
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Fri 4 Jul 2008, 15:36, closed)

stare at this intensively
for 30 seconds then look across at a co-worker

hey presto instant afro!!!
( spimf ™ is whoever you want him to be, Fri 4 Jul 2008, 15:46, closed)

the instant afro works!
spooky...
(infantile disorder, Fri 4 Jul 2008, 16:32, closed)

Sounds like ball lightning to me.

( Bob Todd whee, Fri 4 Jul 2008, 17:23, closed)

Ball lightning
Ball lightning would always produce itself during my local thundersnow episodes. They'd drop down from about 30 feet in the air and bounce about like a particularly happy bubble, burning the feck out of everything they touched.

One came through my friend's phone, bounced around the house, decided it needed some fresh air so burned its way through the wall.
(TheSnark oh, c'mon, like you didn't see me coming, Fri 4 Jul 2008, 19:26, closed)

shame the insta-afro only works on other people :(
.. seems a shame for aliens to come all this way and all they have to say for themselves is pvooof.
( oucheh I am have confused, Fri 4 Jul 2008, 20:04, closed)

.
That is St. Elmo's Fire.
(TDub Nunc id vides, nunc ne vides on, Fri 4 Jul 2008, 21:40, closed)