Mysterious things happen within 70-100 kilometers downstream of Vientiane, the capital of Laos. At night, red glowing balls appear from the muddy water of the Mekong River, which quickly rise into the air and disappear without noise (some who manage to be near at these moments report a quiet whistle). These mysterious phenomena are small in size, but in some cases reach the size of a basketball.
Are the mysterious lights of the Mekong another planetary mystery?
The mysterious Mekong balls have been seen by thousands of people, photographed and videotaped, and eventually investigated by scientists who are actively looking for an explanation for this interesting phenomenon. What do the mysterious balls look like?
Fireballs are found in all the waters of the Mekong sector, from Vientiane to Bung Kan. Most of them are found in the Mekong River, but there are cases when their appearance occurred in small rivers and ponds. These places may seem exotic at first glance, but they are also densely populated, houses are full of people, roads are laid, schools are built and they have all the other attributes of ordinary civilized life. The Naga ball phenomenon has not been studied in such detail in the past, nor has it been as thoroughly documented as it is now.
There are rumors among the locals that the first written evidence of the mysterious phenomenon is kept in the Wat Luang temple and dates back to centuries. The balls are also mentioned in written records of British soldiers in the 1960s. Numerous locals claim to have seen the lights throughout their lives and have also been seen by their parents, grandparents, and all past generations.
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Fireballs can be seen at different times of the year, but most often they appear in late October - early November, when the long period of rains ends and the Mekong is headed by a stormy and fast current, filling with muddy water. The phenomenon comes straight out of the water, almost always from different points in the river, but sometimes several balls fly out from one place at once.
Phaya Naga - the king of snakes
Since ancient times, many people have lived on the banks of the Mekong. More recently, in the 1980s, this phenomenon has attracted the attention of many scientists from all over the world. There are also some ancient myths associated with the appearance of mysterious balls, which the locals have been transmitting orally for a very long time. One of these myths tells the story that there was a race of nagas (a kind of serpent or dragon) that crawled through the mountains in the places where the Mekong flows today. These special and advanced Nagas continue to travel there even now, using their usual route.
Mysterious balloons are most frequent at the end of October - exactly at the time when the locals celebrate the religious holiday Phaya Naga. At the end of each October, tens of thousands of people gather in Phon Phisai and other Lao towns along the Mekong River. They occupy the best spots along the river.
Previously, locals simply walked on the banks of the Mekong and accidentally noticed how the balloons rose into the air. Today, the phenomenon is used for their own purposes by travel companies: people from all over the world come to see the outlandish phenomenon.
Research on the phenomenon by scientists
Unlike most unknown phenomena, Naga fireballs have been seen by thousands of people, and they have been recorded on modern video and photographic equipment.
Although most locals believe in the mythical explanation for the mysterious balls, the Thai government decided that scientists should be involved in the study of the phenomenon. Through these efforts, a group of Thailand's finest scholars was formed and involved in the scientific study of the myth. In 2003, thermal chambers and five teams of scientists were deployed at several locations along the river. One of them was located at the most famous observation site - in the Naga Temple in Phon Phisai. It was rumored that a submarine was also involved in the investigation.
Some scientists have speculated that the gas that comes out of the lake may be to blame for the phenomenon. In their opinion, when the gas reaches the surface of the water, it starts to burn and rises into the air like a lantern. It is noteworthy that local residents say that earlier these balls were much smaller in size, their glow color was mostly white, and they rose above the water only a few meters.
Is the hoax impossible?
Lao people do not believe that anyone could falsify this phenomenon. Sometimes the balls rise from the water in very secluded places, and the organizer of the falsification has very small chances that someone will notice his "creation". On one occasion, fireballs were seen in one night on a 45 km long stretch of river. The river has been viewed by hundreds of people for a long time, and in such conditions it was very difficult to fake such a phenomenon without being caught red-handed.
Naga balls also appeared during the war between Thailand and Laos. The border was heavily guarded at that time, and hardly anyone would want to risk their lives to surprise people in an enemy country. Scientists have not provided a concrete solution to the dispute about the source of the mysterious balls. Although it should be admitted that if, nevertheless, the phenomenon is a deception, then it is very well organized and planned, since thousands of people believe in it.