Sky lantern

A lightweight lantern that rises when a flame heats the air inside its open-bottomed paper shell. Its open bottom lets hot air collect while the lantern remains tethered to no support.

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Hot-air balloon: An aircraft that rises when heated air inside an envelope makes it less dense than surrounding air. The lantern uses the same buoyancy principle on a smaller, untethered scale.
Kongming lantern: A Chinese sky lantern traditionally associated with Zhuge Liang and named after his courtesy name, Kongming. This historical lantern is the traditional form from which the broader name derives.
Lantern Festival: A Chinese festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first lunisolar month with lantern displays and other traditions. Sky lanterns are among the lantern forms used in some regional observances.
Wildfire: An uncontrolled fire that burns vegetation in natural or undeveloped areas. A lantern’s burning fuel can ignite dry vegetation after the lantern lands.
Buoyancy: The upward force exerted on an object immersed in a fluid, caused by pressure differences. Heated air inside the lantern is less dense than the cooler air outside.
Zhuge Liang: A Chinese statesman and military strategist who served the Shu Han state during the Three Kingdoms period. Tradition links the lantern’s invention to Zhuge Liang, though the attribution is uncertain.
Wishing well: A well or water feature into which people toss coins while making wishes. Releasing a lantern can similarly embody a wish or hope in ceremonial practice.
Marine debris: Human-made solid waste that is discarded, disposed of, or abandoned in the marine environment. Lantern frames and fuel residues can reach waterways and become litter.
Convection: Heat transfer through the movement of fluids, including liquids and gases. Convection distributes flame-heated air through the lantern’s open-bottomed envelope.
Three Kingdoms: A period of Chinese history from 220 to 280 marked by rivalry among the Wei, Shu, and Wu states. The traditional origin story places the lantern in this era of military conflict.