A video on YouTube may have caught the elusive phenomenon of so-called "ball" lightning on tape as the witness filmed a nearby thunder storm through a window.
In one split second, not noticed at the time, a red streak of light flashes against the window and throws up debris from the ground below.
The screen grab above catches the instant, revealing what looks like an electrical discharge just a moment before a gigantic lightning bolt streaks across the sky nearby.
A clump of dirt pops up, and, apparently is what was noticed at the time the tape was made. Looking back at the sequence, the video maker realized what happened and the possibility that he could have been struck by the mini lightning bolt.
The video, uploaded to YouTube on Jan. 22, includes this description:
"I was filming the lightning and when I played it back a friend noticed something streak past me and hit the ground right in front of me."
Was it ball lightning?
Wikipedia describes the phenomenon, reporting that "Scientific data on natural ball lightning are scarce owing to its infrequency and unpredictability. The presumption of its existence is based on reported public sightings, and has therefore produced somewhat inconsistent findings. Given inconsistencies and the lack of reliable data, the true nature of ball lightning is still unknown."
Numerous articles on Google describe the effect and some laboratory results have produced similar effects. But, could this be the first time ball lightning was caught on tape by a totally unsuspecting witness?
Click the video to see the incident in full.
What do you think? Is this a case of ball lightning caught on video?
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