strange night flashes

[whitecoast]

Hi everyone, I wanted to share with you some odd occurrences that happened last night. I was on my way home on a bus late at night through a rural area, where there were no other lights. There were two incidents when I saw a 0.75 second flash of muted white light, shaped roughly like a cloud, out in the darkness. Each of these was maybe 5 or 10 minutes apart. At first I thought the window was simply reflecting a camera flash from inside the bus. But then I got home and saw 3-4 more similar flashes outside my apartment window. What's really odd is that in some of the occurrences I was looking at the window and in some of them I was looking down and just noticed the same flash in my peripheral vision or reflecting off the floor and furniture. Just to repeat, it didn't seem like a camera flash or lens flare. I don't remember seeing any while walking from my bus stop to my home (~10 minute walk). It's strange that while I was active I saw nothing but while I was sitting down I saw the flashes. Could that be related?


I spent the evening doing parkour and was pretty exhausted. I also had a carrot on my way home but otherwise I'm totally ketogenic (if that matters). I remember experiencing the same thing a few months previous as well, but I didn't get around to posting about it then. I'm sorry I don't recall as many details about the earlier occurrence, other than it had the same muted cloud flash shape. I almost wonder if it was the same phenomena as that plasma flash resembling an angel that was photographed awhile ago?


Has anyone experienced anything similar?

 

[mkrnhr]

Hello,
How was the wheather during night? Could it be possibly due to some electric discharges along the electric power transmission lines?

 

[whitecoast]

The weather was clear and I could see stars and planets while walking home (less so on the bus due to the bus lights). There may have been discharges during the bus ride, as there are some aerial power lines in that area. There aren't any near the windows, though.

 

[mkrnhr]

Strange indeed. I've seen electric-induced flashes but usually you could easily identify the source. When you approach the power lines you can hear a distinctive "buzzing".
The episode with the light from outside the window reminds me something about peripheral vision, that it is more sensitive to light changes (and movement) than the central field-of-view. Not saying that it's what happened but it's possible that the source of the flash seen through the window was far away, and yet detectable nonetheless through peripheral vision, especially in the dark?

 

[whitecoast]

Strange indeed. I've seen electric-induced flashes but usually you could easily identify the source. When you approach the power lines you can hear a distinctive "buzzing".
The episode with the light from outside the window reminds me something about peripheral vision, that it is more sensitive to light changes (and movement) than the central field-of-view. Not saying that it's what happened but it's possible that the source of the flash seen through the window was far away, and yet detectable nonetheless through peripheral vision, especially in the dark?

I'm not sure. Half of my apartment's window is covered with cedar trees maybe 5 meters away, so the odds of that being the case are less likely. Also, it was the same as those observed on the bus, which I had a more direct view of. :/

 

[Oxajil]

That's strange whitecoast, I wonder if it could be more of a neurological thing? I did a search and found this: _http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/floaters-flashes-and-haloes

Flashes
Otherwise known as 'photopsia', flashes describe the subjective sensation of seeing a light in the absence of an objective stimulus. This may present as scintillating lights, an arc of light or a feeling like a light-bulb has just flashed on and off in the periphery of vision. Flashes are caused by improper stimulation of the eye's retina, or the optic nerve, which the brain interprets as light. This could be traction of the retina, for example.[3]

Maybe it could be photopsia?

 

[whitecoast]

Thanks Oxajil, "like a light-bulb has just flashed on and off in the periphery of vision" certainly sounds like it. What's curious is I didn't experience it while walking through the dark, but only when sitting down for a bit. Hmmm... Thanks for your help everyone.

 

[bianca etezete]

hi whitecoast, please see an eye doctor and let him/her check for retinal detachment! Don't wait too long! Maybe I'm wrong, i at least hope so, but flashes in the peripheral vision is a first sign. If you ignore it it will become a really nasty and long story, believe me. I hope I'm wrong but please let someone check!

greetz!