Nantasket Beach MA strange orbs tonight

[mikedj73]

My girlfriend and I happen to notice these floating orbs while walking the beach at Nantasket Beach off the coast of MA.

 

[Mick West]

They look like Chinese Lanterns. Like these:


Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUegTtkUZz8

 

[Ravi]

Indeed. Slow moving, ascending and slowly dying red lanterns. Probably a wedding going on.

 

[FatPhil]

Indeed. Slow moving, ascending and slowly dying red lanterns. Probably a wedding going on.

Probably a crime going on:

527 CMR 1.00: MASSACHUSETTS COMPREHENSIVE FIRE SAFETY CODE

10.11.9.1 Welding torches, tar pots, fire lanterns, and other devices, machines, or processes liable to start or cause fire shall not be operated or used in or upon any areas, except by permit from the AHJ

-- https://www.mass.gov/doc/massachuse...ugust-26-2016-through-october-6-2016/download

 

[JMartJr]

Seems an odd list... Chinese wedding lanterns and welding torches seem to pose rather different sorts of dangers!

I'm also curious now if this means a permit for launching fire lanterns is something that can be obtained.

 

[jarlrmai]

The both pose the danger of potentially starting fires..

I cannot see how a permit (under fire regulations) would work for lanterns unless the could be guaranteed to land at sea, but they should still be banned under littering laws.

But the law for the fire regs probably says you need a permit, but would likely never grant one for lanterns because of the impossible to control risk, but welding can be done safely with proper precautions.

Often they are actually 'banned' under general littering laws, but the laws are unenforced, because of the negative press of doing it to a wedding or funeral event. However I strongly believe they and balloons should have specific explicit legislation to prevent their release, so it doesn't allow for this enforcement loophole.

 

[JMartJr]

I suppose one could, in theory, fly a fire balloon tethered, to keep it under your control... but maybe this is getting a bit far afield for this thread...

 

[jdog]

Probably a crime going on:

527 CMR 1.00: MASSACHUSETTS COMPREHENSIVE FIRE SAFETY CODE

10.11.9.1 Welding torches, tar pots, fire lanterns, and other devices, machines, or processes liable to start or cause fire shall not be operated or used in or upon any areas, except by permit from the AHJ

-- https://www.mass.gov/doc/massachuse...ugust-26-2016-through-october-6-2016/download

That's also the sort of thing that will keep the people who release fire lanterns from documenting what they're doing on social media, making it less likely to find a match for the event.

Also see https://www.bostonherald.com/2022/0...gal-sky-lantern-started-leominster-high-fire/ where "The warning comes after investigations into an April 13 fire at Leominster High School demonstrated the potentially catastrophic blaze was started by one of the lanterns, which Ostroskey said are prohibited under Bay State law."

As well as this year in Texas: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/mesquite-fire-lantern-cause-homes-destroyed/: "Two homes were destroyed this week after a floating lantern likely sparked a fire near Peachtree Road and Bruton Road in Mesquite, according to fire officials."

 

[MapperGuy]

Anybody have the software to stabilize the original image, using the buildings?
Looks to me like that some of the ones that are dimming are descending, which is what you would expect as the air in the bag starts to cool.