It was close to 11 p.m. We were out in one of the valleys about 120 kilometers south of Riyadh, just hanging out with friends around a campfire for warmth and company. This was during the winter of 2010–2011. Our spot was clear: a mountain directly behind us, and the open desert valley stretching out in front.
While we were sitting there, one of us noticed something strange—a glowing, fiery sphere descending from the top of the mountain. As soon as he pointed it out, we all turned and saw it clearly. It was moving toward us, extremely slowly, almost as if it were strolling. It kept coming closer until it was only about five meters away. It was much larger than a basketball—maybe twice the size.
The object was burning with a yellowish-white flame, glowing softly. This wasn’t just a distant light; it was something real and close, right in front of us. Then it stopped for a few moments, hovering in place.
One of my friends tried to take a picture with his phone, but back then we only had basic phones like Nokia and BlackBerry. My cousin quickly grabbed his hand to stop him, worried that photographing it might be dangerous.
After those tense moments, something else happened: the glowing sphere slowly turned and began moving away toward the valley in front of us (with the mountain still behind us). It moved about ten meters away, then suddenly shot off at an incredible speed, like a bullet skimming just above the ground. Immediately after, it shot horizontally up into the sky and disappeared completely.
I wasn’t the only one who witnessed this. Three other men were with me, all trustworthy and level-headed. The memory of that night still sticks with us.
Told by Raed (33) – Saudi Arabia
Experience Analysis
This is one of the rare cases where the description matches one of the most mysterious atmospheric phenomena:Ball lightning Ball Lightning.
Why is ball lightning a possible explanation?
- The glowing, spherical shape.
- Slow, silent movement followed by a sudden burst of speed.
- Approaching people without causing burns.
- Appearing in open environments (valley, mountain, nighttime).
All these features have been documented in scientific reports and eyewitness accounts of ball lightning, even though science still hasn’t fully explained what it is.
What is ball lightning?
This is an extremely rare phenomenon, typically appearing as a glowing or fiery sphere ranging from a few centimeters to several dozen centimeters in diameter. It sometimes seems to move with intention, then suddenly vanishes, explodes, or darts away at an unexpected speed.
Some scientific theories suggest possible explanations, including:
- Temporarily stable plasma.
- Electromagnetic interactions with the earth or rocks.
- An electrical phenomenon triggered by unobserved atmospheric conditions.
Could it be something else?
While the description closely matches ball lightning, other explanations can't be ruled out—such as rare, unclassified atmospheric events, unknown optical effects, or even popular folklore in desert regions.
This account doesn't show signs of fantasy or hallucination. The narrative is coherent, there are multiple witnesses, and the details are clear—making it a case worth documenting and studying, rather than dismissing or exaggerating.
Whether it's a rare form of ball lightning or a natural phenomenon we don't yet understand, reports like these remind us that nature still holds many secrets waiting to be uncovered.
