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Science Frontiers ONLINE No. 75: May-Jun 1991 |
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Unusual electrical (?) phenomena
November 24, 1975. Tendele Hutted Camp, Drakensberg Mountains, South Africa. The following observations were made during violent electrical storms.
"Around 10pm, WN observed a luminous vertical column in an easterly direction which appeared suddenly at a location low on the hillside on the far bank of the Tugela River at a distance of about 1km. This stationary light column seemed to have the dimensions of a pencil stub (approx. 50mm x approx. 7mm) held vertically at arm's length. The column, which had a bluish glow like a fluorescent tube, was visible for about 5 to 10 seconds...... "At 11.15pm, when the intensity of the storm had abated and the sky was lit intermittently with flashes of sheet lightning, the writer saw a luminous spherical object, seemingly of golf to tennis ball size, moving rapidly with an apparently vertical undulating motion from left (northeast) to right (southwest) on a horizontal course in the general direction of Mont-Aux-Sources (3282m) where the Tugela River has its origin. This sighting lasted 2 to 3 seconds. About 3 minutes later, another similar object crossed the field of view, following the same course as the first object and showing about 2 or 3 undulations in its passage. At midnight, a third object was seen having the same characteristics as the first two objects. However it did not arise from the extreme left of the field of view but appeared to originate from a point marked by a small tree close to and in the middle of the window. These objects had a bright yellowish-blue luminescence, and no noise was heard which could be associated with their passage."
(Neish, William J.P.; "Lightning Phenomena in the Drakensberg Mountains of Natal, RSA," Journal of Meteorology, U.K., 15:377, 1990.)
Reference. A wide spectrum of similar mysterious luminous phenomena are cataloged in categories GLB, GLD, and GLL in Lightning, Auroras. For ordering information, visit: here.