One of the most commonly touted explanations for the appearance of extraterrestrial craft has been itself debunked as a trick of the mind. The incredible twist seems almost poetic. And the almost metaphysical explanation declares that just because the explanation may itself be a trick of the mind does not necessarily mean it isn’t also real. Of course philosophers have for hundreds of years been questioning what “real” means anyway.
Alexander Kendi and Josef Peer of Innsbruck University suggest that pulses of powerful electromagnetic fields actually affect the brains of those who are near lightning strikes. The explanation may seem odd, even impossible, but there is some precedent for these effects. In laboratory tests, subjects who are exposed to high levels of electromagnetic energy will often find themselves experiencing things which are not really there. The so-called “God Helmet” is one of the objects which can in effect change the perception of the viewer into believing they have had significant spiritual experiences. The device, and by extension the effects of electromagnetic radiation have also had a significant effect on the brain in both its perception of events going on around it and even leading to vivid hallucinations that the participant could not tell from reality.
Essentially, the way it works according to Peer and Kendi is that a lightning strike that remains for a long time emits a magnetic field similar to those found in transcranial magnetic Stimulation. This creates a hallucination in viewers that can be perceived as a present light that even follows and maintains its presence around a percipient. For a long time aircraft have reported ball lightning following their craft, bouncing on the wing, and even entering the cockpit to roll around on the floor beneath their feet. Despite this, however, no evidence has ever been collected to suggest they may actually exist, and no one has ever been injured by the phenomenon.
Despite this, the phenomenon has been reported since the 1900’s and even prior to this as a rare, but naturally occurring phenomenon. The explanation of how these strange lights can suddenly appear is highly contentious in meteorological circles, but there have been several photographs alleging the existence of the phenomenon. One of the most famous photos was taken in 1987 by a student in Naganeno who said a ball of lightning passed in front of his camera crackling in front of a smokestack. The photograph is still considered questionable in many circles.
Could ball lightning be nothing more than a mass and archetypal hallucination? At present date there is no conclusive evidence that it is real, but there are many phenomena in the universe that were not confirmed until after the 20th century. In the mean time, the very existence of ball lightning is once again under fire. Is it possible other natural phenomena could one day be sent to the realm of hallucination due to a lack of photographic evidence? We will be sure to keep you updated on this shocking revelation.