Atmospheric Ghost Lights

For thousands of years people have been seeing strange lights in the night sky. These lights go by so many names across many different cultures, including will-o'-the-wisp, naga fireballs, onibi, hitodama, minmin light, hestalin light, brown mountain lights, and many others. But no matter what you call them, these lights have one thing in common. No one can explain where they're coming from. But can we? I actually doubt it, but let's find out. The Marfa Lights. We'll start in Marfa, Texas, where strange lights have been puzzling the locals for over 135 years. If you head down Route 67 towards Mitchell Flat, you might just see them for yourself. Ask a hundred different people about the Marfa Lights and you'll probably get a hundred different answers about how many there are, how big they are, what color they are, and how close you can get to them. The one thing most folks seem to agree on though is that if you'll come to this spot off Highway 90 about this time of day, pretty soon you'll notice that there's something out there and nobody knows exactly what it is. Witnesses report distant spots of brightness that are markedly different compared to headlights and ranch lights. Others describe them as mysterious orbs of light that remain stationary, pulsing with different degrees of intensity. At times, light is blindingly bright. Many people have seen the Marfa Lights darting across the desert, performing incredible maneuvers. With stunning hues of green, blue, red, yellow, and orange, these lights stay low to the ground but above desert vegetation. There, there's one. No, it just finished. There it is, Jane. The official explanation is that these lights are reflections from car headlights and other sources of man-made illumination. But seeing as witnesses have been spotting this phenomenon for over a hundred years, this theory seems somewhat dubious. Now I'm talking about 1943. You didn't have guard lights, you didn't have vehicular traffic, you didn't have yard lights, there was no electricity on the ranches at all. And you did have the Marfa Lights back then. Oh sure, sure. The Min Min Lights. But Texas isn't the only place where you can see atmospheric ghost lights. Travel to Queensland, Australia and you might witness a very similar phenomenon. The Aboriginal people have been telling stories about these lights for many centuries, and their knowledge of them predates European arrival. We've had people out here try and track it and they still can't come up with what it actually is. So it's a mystery and it's been seen by every different person from a rich grazier, sheep hockey to probably a shearer and truck drivers. And so it's not something that they didn't get together and just make up this story and use it as a tourist instrument. It's actually a mystery. Witnesses describe the lights as fuzzy, disc-shaped spots that hover just above the horizon. Like the Marfa Lights, they can appear in a number of different colors with varying degrees of brightness. Older stories suggest that these lights chased after people and caused them to disappear. A little while later, the light seemed to be getting quite close to us and we said, gee, that rear shooter's getting a bit close. Someone seemed to mention, and I've just forgotten who, that they couldn't hear anything, like the sound of a vehicle. And the light, which was a white glowing light, which was kind of hovering above the trees, was getting closer. And we all agreed at the same time, there should be some kind of noise. And we thought, gee, that brochure is getting a little bit close for comfort. And then finally someone said, maybe it's the Min Min Light. And we all thought, well, it could be being, being very silent. Got an awry feeling and went through us when we thought it could be the Min Min Lights. Once again, the skeptics insist that the Min Min Lights are nothing out of the ordinary. Some scientists suggest that the lights could be swarms of bioluminescent insects. Others say that the phenomenon could be caused by marsh gas. Still others claim that it's simply a mirage caused by refraction and temperature differences in the air. More lights in the United States. Aside from the Marfa Lights, there are plenty of other examples of atmospheric ghost lights in the United States. The Brown Mountain Lights in North Carolina have been puzzling locals since about 1910. The Joplin Spook Light from Oklahoma has been spotted speeding down roads and hovering over trees for many years. Well, the light hasn't been in this one spot for years, but over a course of many years, people have spotted hovering lights over the trees, if that makes sense. The Gurdon Light in Arkansas is equally mind-boggling. For each of these lights, scientists have proposed various explanations, usually stating that they are reflections from headlights. But not everyone is convinced. We're not convinced. The Japanese and Thai Ghost Lights. Perhaps some of the most notable examples of atmospheric ghost lights come from Japan, where they are known by many names. In Nobuoka's Mizuyaki Prefecture, they are known as Osabi. These lights were described by early witnesses as balls of fire that curse anyone who looks at them. On Omi Island, these lights are considered to be spirits, and they are often seen above the sea or around graveyards. Spirit lights in Japan are often referred to as Hitodama, and they have been spotted throughout the nation. Some scientists believe that these lights could be caused by fireflies. One of the most bizarre theories is that phosphorus escaping from human bodies reacts with the rainwater to produce lights above graveyards. One researcher vaguely stated that Hitodama was simply plasma in the air. In Thailand, the Naga fireballs stun both locals and tourists each year. For reasons unknown, these strange ghost lights rise up out of the Mekong River on one specific night, the celebration of Won Ok Phasma in late October. No one has ever been able to explain these lights. Not really, not truly, not fully. While some say that people are simply shooting flares into the sky, an official investigation by the authorities in Laos found that no one could have fired weapons or flare ammunition without our knowledge on that night. We ensured a heavy police presence throughout the night and did not encounter any incidents. The conspiracy theories. So if no one can explain these lights, then what do the conspiracy theories have to say about them? The first and most obvious paranormal explanation is that these lights are actually UFOs. However, there's a reason we're not calling these things UFOs. Researchers put these lights in a completely different category because they behave differently. For one thing, they do not fly at high altitude, and they are typically spotted just above the tree line. Secondly, they are much smaller than typical UFOs. For example, a Naga fireball is believed to be the size of a soccer ball. Still, there are many witnesses who believe in the UFO connection, and who are we to doubt them? What do you think they are? I don't know. Um, I think they might be UFOs. That's my belief. That's, that's what I think. Others believe that atmospheric ghost lights are spirits. This has been the most commonly held belief throughout history, and it permeates many different cultures. From the United States and Australia to Thailand and Japan, the ancient stories all say the same thing, that these lights are either human souls, gods, or interdimensional beings. I like the folklore aspect of it, and that is, it's the Mescalero Apache chief, El Sate, looking for his tribe. Final thoughts. The truth is that the undeniable presence of atmospheric ghost lights is one of the most striking unexplained mysteries of our planet. Despite this, very few people are aware of them. Did you know about them? Sometimes it's important to simply step back and appreciate the If you look close enough, you will find all kinds of amazing phenomena, just like atmospheric ghost lights. What kind of lights have you seen?