Ball Lightning: Weather's Biggest Mystery | Answers With Joe

Ball lightning is a mysterious phenomena that's been seen since the beginning of recorded history, but it's so rare most people put it in the category of folklore or pseudoscience.

However, there's some new studies that seem to show that ball lightning is not only real, but there's possibly many different kinds, and there's a lot we can learn from it.

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[secretplayer]

When I was little I though that ball lightning, quicksand and the Bermuda Triangle would be huge sources of problems during a person's life

[sgtjonmcc]

"Ice particles build up a positive charge... because reasons..."

Good enough for me *sips coffee*

[ashishpradhan]

Joe: Ball lightning is very rare, only a few people have experienced it.

The entire comment section: I was x years old when I saw ball lightning come into my house

[johnbogle]

My father retired after 20 years as a USAF pilot. He said that he saw ball lightning on occasion and seemed to allude to the fact that it was not uncommon among pilots. That would lend credence to the vortex theory as he told of it wandering & dancing on the wings (which of course work by creating great pressure differences and occasional vortexes). It did come inside the cockpit once but just traveled through.
Great video. Thanks

[OlCrunch]

“If it hits you, you explode and die...”


Best line ever.

[JoshuaOdionson]

Joe to Alien "Oh! Wait until you see Thunder Snow!"
Alien: "Thunder what? What the hell is wrong with this place?"
Joe: "Oh, then there's Australia!"
Alien: "Nope. We're out"

[SergeantMild]

Having the UFO get struck by lightning while taking off would have been an excellent touch.

[SarahGreen]

I actually saw what had to have been ball lightening, just a couple of months ago. A big blue white ball, so big I mistook it for the moon at first glance. It moved fast just above the tree line of the path I was on. Never saw anything like it before, and I was so glad that my husband was with me and saw it too. Weather is def weird.

[keyholes]

"And voilà, potatoes" is a line I need to steal immediately and use in wildly inappropriate situations.

[johnanita]

"Keep your planet"...I laughed my socks off. Might actually be our best chance to survive an alien invasion...

[DarthStone]

I had the opportunity to experience ball lightning, when I was 7 yeas old. There was a big thunderstorm, and I was watching The Incredible Hulk on TV (yes, I’m old) and when it ended, I went for the knob that turned my TV off, and as soon as I touched it, there was a big blast, I caught a melon sized white spark that flew across the hallway outside my room, I saw it maybe for half a second, my sister screamed from the bathroom (she was taking a bath) and we all came out of our rooms, my dad thought the stove exploded or something, and when my mom went to see if my sister was ok, my sister (she was 6) was crying next to the toilet, she said she saw a bright light come through the bathroom door, it spun very fast in the ceiling before disappearing through a vent. The only “proof” we ever got of our experience, was an electric burnt smell left all over the house, and a pin-sized black hole left in the metal of the vent on the bathroom’s ceiling. To this day it is the single most unexplainable thing I’ve ever seen, weather wise. I have never experienced anything even remotely like that ever again.

[TreasuresonRPM]

I've definitely heard of ball of light sightings just prior to a major earthquake or during a volcanic eruption. It's pretty likely that these phenomenons are related to similar conditions that could cause ball lightning (extremely high energy events). I've never witnessed ball lightning myself but I remember my mom telling me a story of her witnessing a ball of light during a thunderstorm in the 1960s. The ball of light came through a window, moved across the house and went out through another window. Really interesting stuff, I hope to witness one one day.

[MyYT]

Pretty sure that a “hallucination” can’t burn your carpet as it passes through.

[ryanlydon]

Joe: they actually caught the ball lightning on camera
Me: sits through the rest of the video expecting to see it

[tara]

Even though it was a failure, thank goodness first contact was with Joe. Because of his mind and heart, Joe is THE perfect person to speak for us.

[andrewparker]

1:18 the way this man just said "voila potatoes" gets me laughing every time

[MBkufel]

"Documentary Filmmaker Richard Hammond"

A lot has changed it seems

[robertaylor]

“Becomes positively charged ice particles because reasons.” Love that line

[logictechratlab]

I have actually seen a lighting ball when I was younger, I remember it well. It was storming outside and I was sitting in the living room alone (my parents where upstairs doing whatever). Suddenly the electricity went out so my mom and dad where using portable lights. I was just staring out of the window admiring the the raging storm when suddenly out of no where a basketball size white, light blue color ball was going through the garden and hit the window right in front of me, this all happened in like 2-3 seconds after that I didn't see it again but was scared of out my mind, my parents rushed downstairs because they heard a big bang (the sound of the ball hitting the window) and their portable lights went out(EMP effect idk?).
needless to say I was scared for the rest of the evening and it's a memory I will never forget.

[MsNooneinparticular]

My aunt & uncle got hit by lightning recently. Said there was a metallic taste right before. It wasn't even that stormy (like, not raining at all) so they weren't expecting it. There was something like this that came through our TV when I was a kid. Like a fireball. We ran tf out of that room so fast.