PresentBang Fai Phaya narkMs.Jantana kham-anukul

By

Fonraek meenam-ngern no.5

Paratcha Runghiransak no.11

Matthayom 5/10

Kanchananukroh school

kanchanaburi

Bang Fai Phaya Nark

(Naga fireballs)

          Bang Fai Phaya Nark (Naga fireballs) is a phenomenon that the mysterious fireballs rise from the Mekong river into the air above water surface. The fireballs are smoke-less, smell-less, and sound-less. They rise 20-30 meters straight up to the air then disappear without falling back to the earth as the normal fireballs do. Their sizes vary from a thumb-size to an egg-size.

The amount of the fireballs also vary, starting from around 6.00 p.m. to 8.00 or 9.00 p.m. The locations for spotting the fireball phenomenon in the Mekong River are the area of Phon Phisai, Pak Khad , Sung Kom, Sri Chiang Mai, and Bung Kan districts in Nong Khai province. The fireballs can also be found in other locations such as ponds and streams near Mekong River.

          The fireball event is an unexplained phenomenon that generally takes place on the full moon night of the 11th lunar month, which also coincides with the end of the Buddhist Lent. If there are two 8th months in a particular year, the phenomenon will take place on the first waning moon night of the 11th month, which coincides with Lao's Buddhist Lent.

Bang Fai Phaya Nark in scientific views

          In scientific concerns, Dr. Kanoksilpa, a pediatrician at Nong Khai hospital, has continuously studied this phenomenon for four years, including scientifically conducted experiment to investigate its occurrence. Here is a brief information (Panida, 2538 B.E. : 78-79)          Bang Fai Phaya Nark may be an amount of physical matter that can rise through water. It may be a color-less and smell-less self-inflammable gas that is lighter than the air.          

          The conditions at which the phenomenon can occur are the areas of 4.55-13.40 meters deep and underwater puddles that contain gasses.           Those gasses are believed to be organic materials such as dung, plant and animal remains. These fermented substances create adequate amount of gases to emerge from the paddles and rise through water to the air above water surface. The amount of gas in a fireball is around 200 cc. When the 100 to 200 cc gas balls rises 20 feet to water surface, its size expands up to 310 cc.

When it rises 1-4 meters above water surface, its size reduces to 100-200 cc, which is not larger than an orange size, it then starts to be self-inflammable.           These properties exist in hot gasses of which Methane and Nitrogen gases are their main components.