Swamp Lights
For those who don’t know, Will-o’-the-Wisps, also called “ignis fatuus,” Latin for “foolish fire”, are balls of light that are seen hovering over swamps at night and look similar to flickering lanterns, with the light often being blue in color.
Several theories exist as to its cause, including bioluminescence; that is, the glow is caused by something natural like fireflies or honey fungus. Another, somewhat oddball, theory is that barn owls might fly over swampy areas and reflect light from the moon or other sources off of their white plumage, making it look like a bobbing lantern.
However, one of the most accepted theories was more or less discovered by Allesandro Volta, who discovered methane in 1776. He believed that lightning mixed with the swamp gases caused the ghost lights. His theory was extremely controversial at the time and often disregarded because of the unlikeliness of spontaneous combustion and because the theory did not explain why Will-o’-the-Wisps appeared to retreat when approached.
With technological advances, we can prove Volta’s theory was more or less correct. Will-o’-the-Wisps are caused by burning gases—called “swamp gas” or “marsh gas”—that develops from the breakdown of organic matter in persistently wet areas. The movement of the wisps is usually disregarded and it is explained that the gases disperse when approached because of the movement in the air.
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