Was this ball lightning?

In the early hours of Monday morning i was standing on my lawn,watching the stars that were visible,as the cloud cover had partially lifted..as i turned around,i saw what looked like a ball coming down from the sky, in a diagonal straight line.It was green+silver,with purple,seemed to be ablaze.Just before it hit the ground,estimated at bout 100-150 meters away,there was what seemed to be a miniature flash of lightning,visible behind an old disused building belonging to the mining company on whose property we live..there was no lightning or thunderstorm,but there was a lotta moisture in the air..i took a walk there later in the day,after dawn,but could not see scorchmarks on the grass.

And before any one asks why i did,nt video record it- i dont have a recorder.If i turned around 5 seconds later,i would not even have seen the ball,just the flash. Any one replying with with a response thats childish+petty or just plain mean-spirited,WILL be ignored,as im raising kids and i get an earful of this # every day,i most certainly wont be entertaining/indulging it here on the site either.

reply to post by Raxoxane


I have heard of a hospital room in a hospital that has had several reports of ball lightning inside this single room located at the corner of the top floor...I am not sure science has explained ball lightning very well, but I do believe it is a natural phenomenon that can be attracted by magnetic or electric fields

It sounds more like a Bolide, a.k.a. Fireball.
Even though it appeared to only be a short distance away when it landed it was more likely hundreds of miles away. I thought I saw one land a few miles away from me once, ended up it hit in the next country over.

Not sure it sounds like ball lightnings, especially since there was no convective activity at the time,

Actually sounds to me more like a bolide (fireball or very bright meteor) - there have been a couple spotted in Britain in the past week.


Edit: Defcon beat me!

reply to post by defcon5

Thanx,off i go,to google that..

reply to post by THEDUDE86

Yeah ive read bout that too,how it can enter planes and buildings..it gives me the creeps,as ive heard of a few individuals getting killed that way, having their internal organs fried..

reply to post by Essan

Thanx anyway,like i said,off to look it up..

Maybe you saw an orb I have seen them a few times.. They are not of this world....

reply to post by Raxoxane


I work in emergency management and I have never heard of a death where someone is hit indoors. Only circumstances indoors would be if you were touching something that was conductive and the electricity took that path...it is very rare. Usually on older houses with copper plumbing

Looking at your posting history, you sure do seem to encounter a lot of unlikely things.

Ball lightning is very rare, as far as I know.

Are you sure you aren't asleep when these things happen?

Where in south africa do you live. Sounds exciting. I agree, alot of unusual things happen to you. LOL

reply to post by humphreysjim

Quite sure im not asleep,and yes i do see a lot of strange things.Thats the main reason i joined this site,as there,s a far larger pool of knowledge and inquisitive minds here,than on many other sites.I attribute the frequency of my sightings of strange happenings,to the fact that number one,i live out here in the Bush,where due to lack of city+town lights,one can observe the sky better,its a clearer view..number 2,i do not need much sleep,never have..so while others are sleeping,im watching the sky and out in nature in the night..number three,i believe one should share one,s experiences,even it does sound implausible.And yes,i have had many-it is what it is.Im not some one who actualy give a rats ass if most folks dont believe me-as long as its on record,there is a chance that sum one will be able to shed some light on it-and increase my knowledge,maybe.

reply to post by remyrange

I live in Mpumalanga province,bout 8 clix outside the town of Barberton.Yeah it did turn out to be an exciting place to live,i thought the wildlife and nature would be the only perks,but there seems to be more to it,even!

reply to post by defcon5

Okay found a good Q+A post on the American Meteor Society site..www.amsmeteors.org/fireballs/faqf/ Apparently the nickel in these meteor-like things shows as green,and magnesium shows as blue/white,and violet has been observed too.So i was getting excited,mystery solved! There is just one thing,they said "the impact to ground is usualy not observed,cus at an altitude of 15-20 km(9-10 miles,48k-63k feet) the meteoroid remnants will decelarate,to the point that the ablation process stops,and visible light is no longer generated" In case i misquoted,you will find at the http above..Aready i learnt sumthing i did,nt know.Only thing is i saw it almost at ground level,but maybe it was just one of those anomalies.

reply to post by THEDUDE86

Its things i heard thru the years on occasion..well,most likely urban legend type anecdotes then..