

ArXiv blog: Magnetically-Induced Hallucinations May Explain Ball Lighting - mbrubeck
http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/25166/

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JacobAldridge
For an overview of the disputed "ball lighting", see
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_lightning>

My parents live on top of a hill in the middle of an extinct volcanic valley.
On several occasions (over a period of years) my father swore he saw a glowing
green ball of light slowly moving toward the ground, which I naturally and
sceptically dismissed. Then one night during a storm I witnessed the same
phenomena myself.

I was inside the house. It was several hills away, so I had no concept of size
(let alone smell). And it was only a few years later that I encountered the
concept of ball lightning, which remains the best explanation of what I saw.

It was also late at night, so perhaps I was susceptible to and victim of the
type of hallucinations detailed in the OP?

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FlorinAndrei
Now all we need is an explanation for the magnetic field.

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grinich
Mass, too. That's a tricky one.

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istari
I've always been fascinated by this phenomenon.

Many accounts of ball lightning leave behind physical evidence, though. Dead
rabbits, dead priests, damaged buildings, etc.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_lightning>

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araneae
Yes, but that could have been the result of regular lightning. Which is
necessary to produce the hallucination.

More damning evidence would be any video of it; there are some on YouTube, but
I'm not really qualified to tell if they're believable or not.

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rgrieselhuber
One thing that really surprised me after moving to Japan was how many people
talk about ball lighting (specifically seeing small balls of light). This is
especially true in the countryside. I'd never even heard of it before that.

