Ghost Light In Bengal

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                             GHOST LIGHT

The Aleya ghost lights are mysterious lights that appear in the marshes of West Bengal, which are typically spotted by local fishermen.

 These lights often confuse fishermen who run the risk of drowning upon following these lights that move over the marshes. Aleya lights have resulted in death of many people.

 The local populace believes that these strange lights that hover over the marshy land at night are the ghosts of fisherman who died fishing. These lights often baffle fishermen; while at other times these lights warn them of potential dangers.

If you happen to be roaming the marshes and swamps of Bengal and are lucky or unlucky, depending on your appetite for the paranormal you might witness a hair-raising display of shimmering colourful lights in the distance. According to local beliefs, these lights emanate from the stranded spirits of dead fishermen who lost their lives accidentally in these areas. Those who have tried to approach these ghost lights or “Aleya” have either lost their lives or their sanities.

But perhaps the most interesting question is: what exactly is the source of this ghostly radiance?

The earliest attempt at explanation was by the Italian scientist Alessandro Volta, who also discovered the methane gas. The clue lay in the location of these lights, he reasoned, which was always in swamps. He surmised that the colours were due to the ionisation of methane found in swamps and bogs, caused due to phenomenon like atmospheric lightning.

However, it wasn’t until recently that the most accurate explanation surfaced. It is now known that decaying organic matter produces certain gases such as phosphine, diphosphane and methane, which oxidize when they come in contact with the oxygen found in the air. Upon ionization, the molecules of these gases emit packets of lights, more correctly known as “photons” to the scientific community, which cause the illumination. Because different gases emit photons of different wavelengths, the result is lights of different colour.