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Min Min Lights
Mysterious lights that hover over the Australian outback at night. They follow travelers, retreat when approached, and have terrified people for centuries. Aboriginal people knew of them long before Europeans arrived.
1800 - Present
Queensland, Australia
3000+ witnesses
Min Min lights are unexplained lights reported across outback Australia.
The Legend
According to documented reports:
Min Min lights:
- Appear in remote outback areas
- Hover above the ground
- Follow travelers
- Retreat when approached
- Have been seen for centuries
Appearance
The lights appear as:
- Fuzzy, glowing orbs
- Various colors (white, yellow, green)
- About the size of a watermelon
- Hovering above ground
- Sometimes multiple lights
Origin of the Name
Min Min refers to:
- A small settlement in Queensland
- Now abandoned
- Where many sightings occurred
- The Min Min Hotel
- A famous early sighting location
Behavior
The lights typically:
- Follow people at distance
- Maintain same speed as observer
- Retreat if approached
- Disappear suddenly
- Appear on horizons
Aboriginal Knowledge
Indigenous Australians:
- Knew of lights before colonization
- Some tribes consider them spirits
- Dead returning or beckoning
- Warnings or guides
- Various traditional names
Scientific Theories
Proposed explanations:
- Fata Morgana (mirage)
- Bioluminescence
- Car headlights refracted
- Atmospheric inversions
- Combustion of gases