Naga fireball

Naga fireballs are an atmospheric phenomenon reported along roughly 250 kilometers of the Mekong River, centered near the town of Phon Phisai, and observed most often during the festival season in late October. Witnesses describe glowing reddish balls, ranging from small sparkles to the size of a basketball, that are said to rise naturally from the river high into the air. Local tradition attributes the fireballs to a mythical giant serpent, the Naga, believed to inhabit the river, while skeptics have suggested they may be tracer ammunition or flares fired from across the river, a possibility a 2021 Laotian investigation denied. Scientific explanations proposed include flammable phosphine gas released from marshy ground or plasma orbs produced by electrical discharge, though neither has been confirmed.