Mysterious Naga Fireballs Of Mekong

Naga Fireballs are a natural phenomenon that appear only in the Mekong River, Thailand. Each year, hundreds of red glowing balls spontaneously rise up from the water into the air and disappear without noise. These mysterious sparkles are small, but sometimes they reach a size of a basketball.

Ghostly fireballs can be seen in different times of the year but most frequent they are in late October - early November, when the long period of rains has ended and Mekong is filled with lots of fast flowing, muddy water.

One science theory suggests that fermented sediment in the river, things such as decomposing remains and animal waste, release bubbles of self-immolating gas that rise to the surface and combust. Suspiciously absent from this theory is a reason why the phenomenon occurs around the same time every year. But locals believe the balls come from the breath of Naga, a mythical serpent that haunts the river.