A 2009 Paper on "Spherical Anomalous Phenomena"

 A 2009 scientific paper by scientist Massimo Teodorani is entitled "Spherical Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Scientific Observations and Physical Hypotheses, Danger Evaluation For Aviation and Future Observational Plan." The author is an astrophysicist PhD who has authored or co-authored quite a few scientific papers you can read on Google Scholar using the link here, and the author is a co-author (with Harvard astronomy professor Avi Loeb) of a 2023 scientific paper laying out the framework of the widely discussed "Galileo Project" that will study unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs).  

The 2009 paper tells us this: "Spherical unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), of both plasma and solid-like kinds, have often been observed in the world." The author tells us that "most of them have been classified as earthlights," although I don't think that claim is correct. "Earthlights" is a term used only rarely for mysterious spheres or mysterious orbs. We read that "The majority are seen singularly, in other cases they fly in a sort of formation."  We read this:

"The Hessdalen valley in Norway is probably the prototype of these special locations, not just due to the many events that are reported, photographed, and videoed (and sometimes occasionally measured) but because of the existence of a permanent measuring station there and the occurrence of many international missions in the area. This location has become a sort of 'laboratory area'  that is very well suited for the investigations of physical scientists in general (Strand, website). It can now be confirmed that similar recurring phenomena also have been sighted in other areas of the world: for instance the Brown Mountain (Warren, 2004) and Marfa light phenomena (Bunnell, website; Stephan et al., 2009) in the U.S.A. and the Min-min phenomena in Australia (Strand, 1996; Pettigrew, 2003) are quite well known and have been scientifically monitored."

The paper makes these claims about spherical anomalous phenomena:

• "They are most often of spherical shape, of different colours (mostly white), often of long duration (up to 30-60 min, spaced out by periods of 'off' and 'on' phases), and relatively large dimensions (1-10 meters)."
• "They are often able to emit a high level of radiant energy. The most credible measurement attributed to them a power on the order of 20 KW in the optical spectrum (Teodorani, 2004a). They are most often unstable in luminosity and are subject to light variability at the rate of a few seconds or less, with no clear periodicity, i.e., irregular. They can remain on for some minutes (while pulsating) and then turn off during a similar duration."
• "Quite often the light phenomenon presents a radar track (Strand, 1984), and anomalous radar signatures also can be recorded when a luminous phenomenon is not in sight (Montebugnoli et al., 2002)."
• "Many witnesses report that such phenomena very often tend to approach people and/or animals in a way that goes beyond a simple mechanism of electrostatic attraction."
• "Some spherical light phenomena have been seen quite often flying close to airplanes (Haines, 2003; Haines, 2007; Haines, 2009). A similar phenomenon was reported during WW-II giving rise to the so called 'foo fighters' repeatedly seen by military pilots. Similar spheres have been seen (and filmed) going from up to down in the streets of some cities. Popular ufology used to call these phenomena 'probes', meaning that they are 'scout devices' sent from larger airships of alleged exogenous origin." 
• "It has already been said that more classic 'earthlight phenomena' tend to very often occur close to the ground (an example is shown in Fig. 4), but similar light balls also have been seen high in the sky, and we do not yet know if the two represent the same phenomenon or not."
• "Observations often (but not always) show sudden and sometimes zigzag movements: this is not at all an aerodynamic motion."
• "Unidentified anomalous phenomena of spherical shape are increasingly reported in many areas of the world. Most of them seem to be a plasma anomaly of some type, others appear to be something technological. The dilemma is to find out if they are two separate kinds of phenomena, two different manifestations of the same phenomenon or some third phenomenon we now know nothing about. In any case we have a precious opportunity to expand our scientific knowledge."

Correct, so why are scientists continuing to follow a "nothing spooky allowed" rule, and continuing to ignore this important phenomenon of mysterious orbs?

The high energies reported do not match anything in my experience, so probably we have a case of different things with different energies. I have never had the slightest worry about being electrically shocked when I photographed a mysterious orb. 

Are you surprised that an astrophysicist PhD has taken a serious interest in mysterious orbs, apparently  regarding them as some important reality? You should not be, given that physics PhD Klaus Heinemann previously wrote the book The Orb Project, and summarizes his views on the reality of mysterious orbs in the article here.