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Science Frontiers ONLINE No. 37: Jan-Feb 1985 |
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"CRYSTAL" BALL LIGHTNING
June 1, 1984. Nottingham, England. Testimony of Mrs. Elsie Haigh.
"...at approximately 5.45 p.m., I was in my kitchen. The window and door were both closed. I was standing with my back to the window when I heard a 'boiling noise' and a noise which sounded like glass splintering -- a crash sound. I was very scared and turned around to face the window and saw a large glass-looking ball, approximately 10 inches in diameter (25 cm), slightly oblong (oblate), with a white filament in the middle. This was floating on a bowl of water which was in the sink. I ran to the bathroom, and seconds later I heard an explosion and splintering glass. When it was quiet -- I think a few seconds elapsed -- I returned to the kitchen. The ball had gone and there was no damage. I can only describe it as a miracle."
(Meaden, G.T.; "'Crystal' Ball Lightning," Journal of Meteorology, U.K., 9:218, 1984.)
Comment. Other ball lightning observations on file include sounds like "breaking glass." See our Catalog Lightning, Auroras, Nocturnal Lights. For a description of this Catalog, visit: here.