Min Min Light is an unexplained light seen in central Australia.

Example

Almost every single winter during the 1950s a strange phenomenon revisited Della Lanahan's sheep and cattle farm in Queensland, Australia. Described as 'a light that circled the yard a few feet above the ground, flaring to a diameter of almost 15 feet'. It collapsed to a tiny, dull red glow when Lanahan shot at it, but soon afterwards brightened and expanded again. After around an hour the light shrank again and disappeared, then reappeared in the distance and darted out of sight. Species See text. ... Emblems: ? (please edit) Motto: Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Slogan or Nickname: Sunshine State/Smart State Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Governor Premier Const. ...

This account was among the 500 or so collected by Fred Silcock during 1993 while researching Australia's mysterious min min lights. Some people believe the lights are examples of exotic, unknown natural phenomenon, akin to feux follets, will o' the wisp, and spooklights. Exotic can mean: Exotic dance - a form of dancing or stripping Exotic pets - non common pets e. ... A natural phenomenon is a physical or non-artificial event. ... The will o the wisp or ignis fatuus (fools fire) is the phenomenon of ghostly lights sometimes seen at night or in twilight hovering over damp ground in still air, often over bogs. ... The Spooklight (or Hornet Spooklight or Devils Promenade) is a mysterious phenomenon seen on the border between southwestern Missouri and northeastern Oklahoma west of the small town of Hornet, Missouri. ...

Theories

There is a strong correlation between their appearance and areas prone to micro-earthquakes which contain a mixture of faulting, seismic history, mineral deposits or bodies of water. Michael Persinger, a professor of neuroscience at Laurentian University in Canada, suggests that strain fields produced by the flexing of the earth's crust can move through an area and create magnetic and electrical effects that produce these bizarre lights. Neuroscience is a field of study that deals with the structure, function, development, genetics, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, and pathology of the nervous system, divided into the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), and the peripheral nervous system, consisting of the myriad nerve pathways running throughout the body. ... Laurentian University (Université Laurentienne), founded in 1960, is a mid-sized bilingual university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, approximately 350 km north of Toronto. ...

A simpler explanation is offered by Jack Pettigrew, of the University of Queensland in Brisbane. He claims the lights are an inverted mirage. A light source over the horizon, perhaps hundreds of kilometres away, is refracted over the horizon by a layer of cold air near ground level. This is the same effect that produces the Fata Morgana. The University of Queensland The University of Queensland (UQ) has its main campus in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, specifically in the suburb of St Lucia. ... Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the state of Queensland, Australia. ... A road mirage, a type of inferior mirage A mirage, derived from the Latin mirari, meaning to be astonished, is an optical phenomenon which often occurs naturally. ... The straw seems to be broken, due to refraction of light as it emerges into the air. ... A fata Morgana, named after Morgan le Fay, the faery shapeshifting half-sister of King Arthur, is a mirage, an optical phenomenon which results from a temperature inversion. ...

See also

• Australia
  • Min Min light
• Canada
  • Baie Chaleur Fireship
• Thailand
  • Naga fireballs
• United States
  • Arkansas
    • Gurdon ghost light
  • Missouri
    • Ozark Spooklight
  • North Carolina
    • Brown Mountain lights
    • Maco light
  • Georgia
    • Surrency Spooklight
  • Missouri
    • Hornet ghost light
  • Texas
    • Bragg Road ghost light ( Light of Saratoga )
    • Marfa lights
  • Virginia
    • Cohoke light

The Baie Chaleur Fireship is a form of ghost light, an unusual visual phenomenon, frequently seen in Canadas Chaleur Bay. ... The Naga fireballs (Thai บั้งไฟพญานาค, bangfai payanak) are a phenomenon seen in Nong Khai province, Isan, Thailand and Laos, in which glowing balls rise from the Mekong river. ... Official language(s) English Capital Little Rock Largest city Little Rock Area  - Total   - Width   - Length    - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 29th 53,179 sq mi  137 732 km² 239 miles  385 km 261 miles  420 km 2. ... Official language(s) none, English most common Capital Jefferson City Largest city Kansas City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 21st 69,709 mi²; 180,693 km² 240 mi; 385 km 300 mi; 480 km 1. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 28th 139,509 km² 805 km 240 km 9. ... Official language(s) none, English most common Capital Jefferson City Largest city Kansas City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 21st 69,709 mi²; 180,693 km² 240 mi; 385 km 300 mi; 480 km 1. ... The Spooklight (or Hornet Spooklight or Devils Promenade) is a mysterious phenomenon seen on the border between southwestern Missouri and northeastern Oklahoma west of the small town of Hornet, Missouri. ... Official language(s) None. ... The Light of Saratoga is a legend located in the Big Thicket of Southeast Texas. ... The Light of Saratoga is a legend located in the Big Thicket of Southeast Texas. ... The Marfa Lights or the Marfa Mystery Lights are unexplained lights usually seen on Mitchell Flat east of Marfa, Texas of the United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 35th 110,862 km² 320 km 690 km 7. ...

External links

• Mystery of the Min Min light explained
• 'The Min Min Light: The Visitor Who Never Arrives' by Fred F. Silcock