Since the time of the early Greeks, there have been many reliable reports of witnesses seeing the phenomenon of ball lightning. The name ball lightning maybe an incorrect term used in describing it. It is a ball but it may not be lightning after all as all facts about it defy anything associated with lightning.

There have been about 5 percent of the worlds population that has come in contact with this phenomenon. Many of the eyewitnesses have been highly respected scientists and researchers in the field. The eyewitness accounts vary, some saw the ball lightning during a thunderstorm, some of the phenomenon came from a huge thunder head and then hovered above the ground between the thunder head and the ground, some report that the ball lightning came from the cloud to the ground, others report that the ball lightning came after an ordinary lightning strike, and a few others report that ball lightning occurred in broad daylight with no thunder storm in sight.

Some of the facts concerning ball lightning are that it is usually round in shape and is between about a half an inch to about 40 inches width. Unlike regular lightning which is only one color, ball lightning can come in any color; there are reports of it being white, yellow, red and green; and it can change its color and size. All though it’s not very bright, it can easily be seen in sunlight.

It can move very fast even pass through walls or it can hover in midair. As it moves it seems to spin as if it has an axis, it also seems to have a pulse within it. Witnesses have reported that it can violently explode or dissipate quietly. In most of the eyewitness accounts it has been reported that it seems to come out of nowhere and others have reported that it rises out of the ground as if it came from hell itself, it has been reported manifesting inside flying airplanes. All though it is cool to the touch there have been reports of it melting walls as well as melting the faces off of people, it has killed people.

There is no accepted theory on ball lightning and some witnesses believe that it comes from UFO. Theories range from a puff of gas, to an eye problem, other theories are that ball lightning and tornados have the same forms, and still many others believe that ball lightning has something to do with atmospheric conditions.

Other theories are that unlike the arc lightning which is short lived, ball lightning is actually a common form of lightning that just is a longer lived floating object.

Whatever ball lightning is or is not, it is still treated like an unexplained phenomenon by many researchers.