Abstract
ARGYLE1 has revived suggestions2–4 that descriptions of ball lightning may simply represent some form of optical illusion. In particular, he postulates that the “bright spheres” are positive after-images caused by observation of short lived effects from nearby lightning strokes. On this view, the apparent movement of a “sphere” is due to the projection of the fixed retinal after-image against different backgrounds, as a result of voluntary or involuntary eye movements.
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References
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CHARMAN, W. After-images and Ball Lightning. Nature 230, 576 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1038/230576b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/230576b0
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