After-images and ball lightning

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. © 1971 Nature Publishing Group.