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This paper presents a study of one possible form of ball lightning. Plasma spheres several centimeters in diameter were produced in atmospheric pressure air. These spheres persisted for up to a half-second after the power supply was turned off. A mathematical theory was derived that predicts the observed lifetime. The theory predicts that the sphere lifetime should scale as the sphere radius squared, which means that large spheres should persist for many seconds. Index Terms--Arc discharges, ball lightning, lightning, plasma confinement, plasma lifetime, plasma scaling law, plasma spheres.

This paper is an observation of the Aurora Borealis, commonly known as the 'northern lights' in Southern USA. This is only the second time in a century has this rare spectacular event occurred in the observed location. Index Terms--Atmospheric effects, Aurora Borealis, natural phenomena.