Ball lightning is reported to last considerably longer than the split-second flash of a lightning bolt.
Notes on verification
Confirmed by multiple independent sources including a peer-reviewed review article and reputable science outlets; consistent agreement that ball lightning lasts seconds to minutes versus milliseconds for standard lightning. [tier=gold indep_score=0.925 clusters=6 claim_tier=notable]
Sources
- Ball lightning (wikipedia)
- https://www.discovermagazine.com/is-ball-lightning-real-the-science-behind-natures-strangest-light-show-46620 (corroboration)
- https://www.rmets.org/metmatters/ball-lightning (corroboration)
- https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/periodically-i-hear-stori/ (corroboration)
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5917226/ (corroboration)
- https://cen.acs.org/environment/atmospheric-chemistry/What-is-ball-lightning-reality-or-myth/102/i12 (corroboration)
- https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/6625399 (corroboration)