Could giant orbs = just ball lightning?

liah

A couple times here (as well as elsewhere) recently people have referenced seeing gigantic, tangible, thick orbs at times in their life and attributed them to being something paranormal.

I've known about ball lightning for some time but never really looked at any correlation til an article popped up on digg;

http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/featured/incredible-phenomenon-ball-lightning/12587

FTA:

The problem from a scientific standpoint is that out of so many eyewitness accounts, the characteristics of these bizarre phenomena have been anything but consistent. In shape and colour there is considerable variation in the way ball lightning is described – and even more so regarding its behaviour. Where in some cases it might spin quickly in one trajectory and be attracted to objects or people, in others it floats there or drifts in the opposite direction. While on some occasions it blasts holes through solid materials, on others it passes through them without a mark.

The bits I've bolded seem to be common with reports of these "giant orbs."

How many of you (I know there's at least one poster) have experienced one of these big orbs? Do you think this would be a reasonable explanation given the evidence you were presented with? If not, why, and what in your opinion makes it supernatural?

And actually, to add, this might explain a lot of UFO sightings. Seems not too many people really know about it, and it's rare enough to be misconstrued often.

okioffice84

Sounds reasonable

Riamfada

I would be inclined to disagree. I have heard of no one who has ever seen a giant orb in a paranormal context nor an increase in them.I would love to know more about that.

Dont Ball Lighting usually come with specific enviromental circumstances.

liah

There's a documentary floating around on google somewhere of a bunch of ghost/paranormal instances. In the documentary thingie there's this gigantic orb that just floats on through some guy's kitchen-- the thing's massive, about the size of a basketball, and just looks like it's made of pure light. They attributed it to being paranormal/a ghost, but I could see it being ball lightning. I know where to find it but I forget the name, if you want it I could PM it but it's on a streaming site so I can't link it publicly.

Also I think in 6th's recent skeptic thread one of the posters mentions seeing a big ball of light just floating through his kitchen.

According to the article I posted in the OP, it can occur even on a perfectly clear, calm day or night at any point, making it all the more peculiar.

It's fascinating regardless, I just think maybe this might be the reason for a couple of those orb reports and UFOs and all that.

Overblood

Liah, ball lightnings are just as mysterious as orbs. You´re replacing one slippery subject with another.

What are ¨orbs¨ supposed to be anyways? Ghosts?

suey71

Hi Liah, I was the poster who saw the giant orb. this is the first time that I've heard it being called Ball Lightning. Does ball lightning move slowly accross a kitchen table? then vanish. Surely if it was ball lightning it would have made a bang when it formed or vanished, not sure how ball lightning works, so excuse my ignorance.
As far as I know energy cannot be created or destroyed but can be changed from one form into another. What form did my giant orb change into? It just vanished.

A lot of freaky stuff was going on in my parents house back then so when I saw the orb I just took it that it was related to the freaky stuff.
I read somewhere that orbs can travel in groups, any boby else read about this. Could this be a group of spirits or dead family members paying a visit?
Its all just weird?

Davaeo09

Law of conservation of energy eh?
Not what I expect to see quoted in a thread in the paranormal forums. :pac:

Any way, to clarify your statement, and some what counter your argument. Light could easily change to heat and kinetic in a split second, in other words a slight rise in temperature.

Look, I am not being a jerk ( trying to revive that word ) - BUT, it could be any thing. A new animal, and alien, a bird, a fish, a hallucination.. any thing. Don't waste your time wondering what it was. Get out and have fun :cool:

liah

suey71 wrote: »

Hi Liah, I was the poster who saw the giant orb. this is the first time that I've heard it being called Ball Lightning. Does ball lightning move slowly accross a kitchen table? then vanish. Surely if it was ball lightning it would have made a bang when it formed or vanished, not sure how ball lightning works, so excuse my ignorance.
As far as I know energy cannot be created or destroyed but can be changed from one form into another. What form did my giant orb change into? It just vanished.

A lot of freaky stuff was going on in my parents house back then so when I saw the orb I just took it that it was related to the freaky stuff.
I read somewhere that orbs can travel in groups, any boby else read about this. Could this be a group of spirits or dead family members paying a visit?
Its all just weird?

Ah there you are, cheers for your reply suey. Was hoping you'd clarify your experience for me as I couldn't remember which thread you'd mentioned it in.

Was the other freaky stuff mostly electricity based? Lights on/off? Tvs on/off or changing channels? Radio on/off or tuning? Or was it more physical like stuff moving?

I ask because if it was electricity based it might lend some credence to the theory of ball lightning. If it was physical like stuff moving then that is bloody well creepy.

Anyway, as for your question re: movement patterns, I'm no expert but the article for Ball Lightning on Wikipedia reads:

Depending on the report, ball lightning can move upwards as well as downwards, sideways, or in odd trajectories such as rocking from side to side like a falling leaf. It can move with or against the wind, or simply hover, more or less stationary in the air. Sometimes it is described as being attracted to houses, cars, persons, or other objects, but sometimes the balls are reportedly repelled or are unaffected by objects. Some accounts claim the balls have passed freely through solid masses, such as wood or metal, without any effect on the ball or material, while other accounts report damage to the material, such as melting or burning. Some reports suggest an attraction to, or even an origination from electric power lines. Ball lightning has been reported in many different colors, sometimes even transparent or translucent. It is sometimes said to contain radial filaments or sparks while others are evenly lit, and some have flames protruding from the ball surface. Its shape has been described as spherical, oval, tear-drop, rod-like, and sometimes, but rarely, even disk-like.
It has sometimes been reported during thunderstorms, sometimes issuing from a lightning flash, while sometimes it appears during calm weather with no storms in the vicinity.
The balls have been reported to disperse in many different ways, such as suddenly vanishing, gradually dissipating, absorption into an object, "popping," exploding loudly, or even exploding with force, which is sometimes reported as damaging. Some accounts say the balls are lethal, killing on contact, while other accounts claim that they are harmless.

Do any of these traits remind you at all of what you saw?

Difference is Orbs can not be seen to the naked human eye (that doesnt sound right)
and is normally light reflecting off an insect or a piece of dust ect....

Ball lighting is a whole other thing . There is no evidence to suggest that it exist's either. Just eye witnesses. THere is a video of some reactor exploding and it creates "ball lighting" but this still cant be proved either way.

suey71

Hi Liah, It was basketball sized. It looked like a white thick fog but bright.

You didn't say anything about it happening indoors. I actually saw 2 but the first one was when I was in my sitting room and saw it through the fogged glass panels of the sitting room door, so I'm not counting that one.

About the other freaky things that happened in my parents house, I used to hear lots of pots and pans falling in the cupboard, sounded like they all fell down from a hight "LOUD". but when I jumped up to see what happened they where all in their place. Oh and doors opening by themselves "FAST".
One night myself and my sister heard something upstairs in her room, a knocking or banging sound, so we went to investigate. We crept up the stairs slowly. I was frightening her as we ascended. She stayed at the top of the stairs and I slowly went to her room, I paused for dramatic effect scaring her some more. I could still hear the banging noises, (and nobody state the obvious, no, there was no one having nookie). I went to the door, and slowly reached out my hand to open the door, when SWISH the door burst open and I ran past my sister and down the stairs and back into the safety of the sitting room, then I realised my sister was still upstairs. I went out to see her standing where I left her but her mouth was open in a silent scream. I went up and brought her down the stairs. Later I went back up just to see if maybe there was an open window in her room but no, it was closed.
This kind of thing happened for about 2 or 3 years. I put it down to poltergeists because there where 2 girls going through puberty, and one of about 5. I read somewhere that they are attracted to pubescent girls, I'm a guy btw.
This was about 20 years or so back. Nothing much has happened since but then, I havent been living there for about 15 years.
A couple of weeks ago my brother told me that my Father told him that he found my above mentioned sister in her room once with her friends messing with a ouiji board. I'm not sure if that was the cause though.
Well thanks for reading yet another of my rants. bye.

iamhunted

i find it funy that a century ago ball lightening was classed as 'paranormal' and imagination and now we have it as a possible reason behind whats currently thought to be 'paranormal' and imagination.

liah

Deleted User wrote: »

Difference is Orbs can not be seen to the naked human eye (that doesnt sound right)
and is normally light reflecting off an insect or a piece of dust ect....

Ball lighting is a whole other thing . There is no evidence to suggest that it exist's either. Just eye witnesses. THere is a video of some reactor exploding and it creates "ball lighting" but this still cant be proved either way.

I'm not talking about the usual little ones that show up on films and things like that. If you read my post properly I was referring to "giant" orbs like what Suey mentioned.

And there are videos of it other than reactors exploding, there's a few on youtube that aren't too hard to dig up. There's not much known about it but it does exist according to quite a few sources.

Anyway, suey, I'm not sure if it's possible for it to have been indoors but the fact that it said it "passed through solid objects" and things like that may lead to it finding its way into your kitchen..?

I can't explain the other stuff, though. That's quite terrifying.