Ball Lightning?-Another quick reference/broad discussion thread for future consultation

OK.. originally I was going to put this in one of the threads that discuss ideas that debunk the notion that the objects seen in Mexico were of ET origin... But then I figured that ball lightning will, undoubtedly, be used again as an explanation for high-profile UFO cases. So... I decided to start a thread that people can update with new links regarding BL as time goes on. Hopefully this can grow into a quick resource list whenever the BL theory comes up. heck, since I'm starting with a little opinion... I think it would be great if people just posted ideas regarding the possible BL-UFO connection in general:



I've been reading over material on Ball lightning for the better part of an evening: The problem, though, is that I find that 'ball lightning' is ill-defined and used as kind of a 'one piece fits all' explanation for a variety of phenomena. To be frank, even the scientific pages and books I've consulted say that there is no working definition for it or even accepted theories for how it works. the problem, then, is that some people are using one unknown phenomenon to explain away another unknown phenomenon.

Right now... it seems like 'ball lightning' is just a skeptic friendly term that is used to 'debunk' any, and all, weird aerial items. The problem with this is that the term, itself, is so loose that almost anything can be called ball lightning if someone chooses to do so.
This page was my starting point for BL research on the net (I did consult several AMS approved books, though). About half of the links are bad... but most work:
www.mysteries-megasite.com...

Don't get me wrong:I'm sure that there really is a type of weather disturbance that can be called ball lightning. My problem, though, is that the term is applied whenever something weird is seen in the sky... and that this 'explanation' can never be debunked in its own right because it has elastic definitions.

Anyways, that link goes to over 100 other articles (some discussing ways to make ball lightning in your microwave). As you comb through them... notice how BL is defined in different ways with different theories. I'll add new links later on today (to make this a real refernce page)... but right now its 6am and I'm just lucky I don't have work in the morning...

Ball Lightning Page
www.eskimo.com...

The Encyclopedia of Astrobiology, Astronomy, and Spaceflight - Ball Lightning
www.daviddarling.info...

This next piece was an interesting little fact. However, it still doesn't explain thier supposed 'Invisibility' within our Visible Spectrum.

HISTORY OF TESLA COILS

While the majority of coils are used for entertainment only, some researchers in the area of Ball Lightning frequently use high-powered Tesla Coils to generate the strange phenomenon of Ball Lightning. One application in particular has been in testing airplane fueselages for electrical resillience. Researcher use the coil to simulated a lightning bolt strike on an aircraft in flight.

www.eng.utah.edu...

Well, I have actually seen ball lightning. And I believe this is a disingenuous use of the term for one thing. Ball lightning doesn't just float around. Ball lightning is as instantaneous as regular lightning, it's just that it happens almost at a singular point rather than arc. It's basically an electrical explosion.

To say that you have globs of glowing ball lightning floating around together is ludicrous. I'm weary of the assaults to my intelligence.

There's my 2 cents worth - having a 50% off sale right now, you can get opinions two for one until supplies run out.

Totally agree Valhall...It is a quick flash,just like regular lightning,just in a different configuration.It does not hover,move around or stay in a compacted form for an extended period.These scientists who try to use this as an 'explain-away'excuse must think the general public are completely stupid.The saddest part is,most of the mass population simply swallows what is fed to them,and life goes on.It's been that way for 50+years now.