Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site utastro.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!ut-sally!utastro!bill From: bill@utastro.UUCP (William H. Jefferys) Newsgroups: net.physics Subject: Re: Re: Ball lightening Message-ID: <44@utastro.UUCP> Date: Fri, 5-Apr-85 10:07:55 EST Article-I.D.: utastro.44 Posted: Fri Apr 5 10:07:55 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 7-Apr-85 09:02:20 EST References: <56@tekig5.UUCP> <9585@brl-tgr.ARPA> <133@prometheus.UUCP> <40@utastro.UUCP> Organization: U. Texas, Astronomy, Austin, TX Lines: 20 > This is a little > odd since I believe there is at least one historical account of a death > caused by coming into contact with ball lightning. > Which reminds me of a story whose source I have forgotten. It may even be true. A husband and wife were sitting on the front porch during a storm, and ball lightning was formed. The ball lightning moved across the lawn and over to the porch door where it dissipated itself with a loud bang on the screen, immolating a fly in the process. The wife (she must have been a Vermonter) without batting an eye remarked, "Sure got that fly that time, Henry!" -- "Men never do evil so cheerfully and so completely as when they do so from religious conviction." -- Blaise Pascal Bill Jefferys 8-% Astronomy Dept, University of Texas, Austin TX 78712 (USnail) {allegra,ihnp4}!{ut-sally,noao}!utastro!bill (uucp) bill%utastro.UTEXAS@ut-sally.ARPA (ARPANET)