WBall lightning is an unexplained phenomenon described as luminescent, spherical objects that vary from pea-sized to several meters in diameter. Though usually associated with thunderstorms, the phenomenon is said to last considerably longer than the split-second flash of a lightning bolt. Some 19th-century reports describe balls that eventually explode and leave behind an odor of sulfur. Descriptions of ball lightning appear in a variety of accounts over the centuries and have received much attention from scientists. An optical spectrum of what appears to have been a ball-lightning event was published in January 2014 and included a video at high frame rate. Laboratory experiments have produced effects that are visually similar to reports of ball lightning, but how these relate to the supposed phenomenon remains unclear.
WChōchinbi (提灯火) is a type of onibi, told in legends in each area of Japan.
WThe furaribi (ふらり火) is a fire yōkai that appears in Japanese classical yōkai pictures such as in the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by Sekien Toriyama, the Hyakkai Zukan by Sawaki Suushi, and the Bakemonozukushi by an unknown author.
WIn Canadian ghostlore, the Ghost Ship of Northumberland Strait is a ghost ship said to sail ablaze within the Northumberland Strait, the body of water that separates Prince Edward Island from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in eastern Canada.
WIn Japanese folklore, Hitodama are balls of fire that mainly float in the middle of night. They are said to be "souls of the dead that have separated from their bodies," which is where their name comes from.
WKitsunebi (狐火) is an atmospheric ghost light told about in legends all across Japan outside Okinawa Prefecture. They are also called "hitobosu", "hitomoshi" (火点し), and "rinka" (燐火).
WThe Marfa lights, also known as the Marfa ghost lights, have been observed near U.S. Route 67 on Mitchell Flat east of Marfa, Texas, in the United States. They have gained some fame as onlookers have attributed them to paranormal phenomena such as ghosts, UFOs, or will-o'-the-wisp. Scientific research suggests that most, if not all, are atmospheric reflections of automobile headlights and campfires.
WThe Martebo lights are "ghost lights" which have been seen since the early 1900s on a road in Martebo on the Swedish island of Gotland. In Sweden, it is believed that the will-o'-the-wisp represents the soul of an unbaptized person "trying to lead travelers to water in the hope of being baptized".
WMin Min is an unexplained light phenomenon that has often been reported in outback Australia.
WNaga fireballs, also known as bung fai phaya nak or "Mekong lights" and, formerly, "ghost lights" are a phenomenon said to be seen annually on the Mekong River. Glowing balls are alleged to naturally rise from the water high into the air. The balls are said to be reddish and to range in size from smaller sparkles up to the size of basketballs. They quickly rise up to a couple of hundred metres before disappearing. The number of fireballs reported varies between tens and thousands per night. The phenomenon is locally attributed to phaya nak, a giant serpent said to live in the Mekong.
WOnibi (鬼火) is a type of atmospheric ghost light in legends of Japan. According to folklore, they are the spirits born from the corpses of humans and animals. They are also said to be resentful people that have become fire and appeared. Also, sometimes the words "will-o'-wisp" or "jack-o'-lantern" are translated into Japanese as "onibi".
WThe Paulding Light is a light that appears in a valley outside Paulding, Michigan. Reports of the light have appeared since the 1960s, with popular folklore providing such explanations as ghosts, geologic activity, or swamp gas.
WThe Rōjinbi or rōjin no hi (老人の火) is a kind of supernatural fire that appears in the Edo period bestiary Ehon Hyaku Monogatari.
WShiranui is an atmospheric ghost light told about in Kyushu. They are said to appear on days of the noon moon such the kaijitsu of the seventh month of the lunisolar calendar when the wind is weak, in the Yatsushiro Sea and the Ariake Sea. Furthermore, they can be seen in modern times, but they have been determined to be an atmospheric optical phenomenon.
WSilver Cliff Cemetery is a cemetery established in the early 1880s outside Silver Cliff, Colorado, about a mile south of State Highway 96 on Mill Street.
WThe Spooklight, also called the Hornet Spooklight, Hollis Light and Joplin Spook Light, is a ghost light reported to appear in a small area known locally as the "Devil's Promenade" on the border between southwestern Missouri and northeastern Oklahoma, west of the small town of Hornet, Missouri.
WSt. Elmo's fire is a weather phenomenon in which luminous plasma is created by a corona discharge from a sharp or pointed object in a strong electric field in the atmosphere.
WTenka (天火) are a type of atmospheric ghost light told about in various areas of Japan. It is written about in the collection of fantastic stories, the Ehon Hyaku Monogatari from the Edo period and in the essay Kasshi Yawa by Seizan Matsuura and other writings, but it is also told as the folklore of various areas.
WThe tsurubebi is a fire yōkai that appears in the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by Toriyama Sekien.
WThe ubagabi is an atmospheric ghost light in legends of Kawachi Province and Tanba Province. They are mentioned in old literature, such as the Tenpō period book the Shokoku Rijin Dan (諸国里人談) and Ihara Saikaku's collection of miscellaneous tales the Saikaku Shokoku Banashi (西鶴諸国ばなし) as well as Edo period kaidan books such as the Kokon Hyaku Monogatari Hyōban (古今百物語評判'), the Kawachi Kagami Meishōki (河内鑑名所記), and Toiryama Sekien's collection of yōkai depictions, the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, among other mentions.
WThe Ushi-Oni , or gyūki, is a yōkai from the folklore of western Japan. The folklore describes more than one kind of ushi-oni, but the depiction of a bovine-headed monster occurs in most. Ushi-oni generally appear on beaches and attack people who walk there.
WIn folklore, a will-o'-the-wisp, will-o'-wisp or ignis fatuus, is an atmospheric ghost light seen by travelers at night, especially over bogs, swamps or marshes. The phenomenon is known in English folk belief, English folklore and much of European folklore by a variety of names, including jack-o'-lantern, friar's lantern, hinkypunk and hobby lantern and is said to mislead travelers by resembling a flickering lamp or lantern. In literature, will-o'-the-wisp metaphorically refers to a hope or goal that leads one on but is impossible to reach or something one finds sinister and confounding.