Animation describes the phenomena of ball lightning. To view this as a QuickTime movie, with sound, click here . The next time you view a lightning storm, keep a look out for a strange phenomenon. Lightning balls are real but no one knows what they are. Some scientists say an ordinary bolt of lightning creates these glowing balls of plasma.
Witnesses say they are a rare and beautiful phenomenon about the size of an orange or grapefruit.
Many people who have seen ball lightning, including a few scientists, have reported noticing a bad smell. You can't predict when a ball will appear and when it does, it survives for only one second, or less. That is why there are no credible photographs or video tapes of the phenomenon. This package is best viewed with a QuickTime plug-in.