Ghost Lights Phenomenon: Marfa Lights

Author: Naomi Owusu

In the growing world, of Marfa Texas comes the cultural phenomenon of Ghost Lights or people even call them Marfa Lights. Specific routes such as Route 90 and the Chinati Mountains are many of the famous places where you can find these mysterious orbs of lights. In this article Diana Brown shows the popularity of these ghost lights and how these are seen in many places such as Arkansas, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and even in Michigan. The author states that tectonic plates underneath the Earth's surface that cause these ghostly apparitions. Others think that methane gas is the cause of these mysterious orbs of light.

Marfa

Many people have described these lights as just being cars headlights or even a mischievous spirit or ghost with s lantern since Halloween and jack-o-lanterns have been associated with the Marfa Lights. In the article called, “Scientists Can’t Fully Explain These Strange Floating Lights in Texas” by Kaleigh Rogers talks about how these mysterious orbs of light have invested over $720,000 for many tourists and even researchers of science to visit the Marfa Lights Viewing Center in Texas. To get a better view of these ghostly lights, it should be a clear, night sky to witness this phenomenon. These lights change many different many colors such as red, yellow, blue, white, and many more which makes this illusion even more mysterious than ever.

Marfa Lights Video Up Close

In the United States, there have been several more ghost lights that many people have encountered, and these are called the Brown Mountain Ghost Lights which are in North Carolina and have been observed for many centuries. Many Indians from the Cherokee tribe had been made aware of these orbs of light for a very long while which makes these lights still a baffling mystery. The Cherokee Indians have claimed that these Ghost Lights were the spirits of women searching for their husbands who have died fighting a great battle. Many other legends entail that these lights are echoes of a murdered woman in the 19^th century. There is even a song associated with the Brown Mountain Lights called, “The Brown Mountain Light” by Lulu Belle & Scotty. This very song tells about a man being accompanied by a slave was hiking on a mountain and how the man was never to be found and comes back and haunts him with a lantern in the dark, crispy shadows at night.

Works Cited:

Brown. Diana. “Are Ghost Lights, Apparitions of the Dead or Even Aliens” How Stuff Works. 30. Jan. 2018. https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/unexplained-phenomena/are-ghost-lights-apparitions-dead-or-even-aliens.htm Accessed 18 Oct. 2020

Brown Mountain Ghost Lights. NC Ghosts. https://northcarolinaghosts.com/mountains/brown-mountain-lights/ Accessed 22 Oct. 2020

Homeschool Honey. “Marfa Ghost Lights Video Up Close.” YouTube, 8 June 2019. MARFA LIGHTS | June 5, 2019 | Marfa Ghost Lights Video Up Close

Rogers, Kaleigh “Scientists Can’t Fully Explain These Strange Floating Lights in Texas” Vice. May. 2017. https://www.vice.com/en/article/9aeapv/scientists-cant-fully-explain-these-strange-floating-lights-in-texas Accessed 18 Oct. 2020

Texas Monthly. “The Truth Is Out There” https://img.texasmonthly.com/2006/05/TruthIsOutThere-0017.jpg?auto=compress&crop=faces&fit=scale&fm=pjpg&h=662&ixlib=php-1.2.1&q=45&w=1024&wpsize=large Accessed 21 Oct. 2020

For Further Reference:

Brown. Diana. “Are Ghost Lights, Apparitions of the Dead or Even Aliens” How Stuff Works. 30. Jan. 2018. https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/unexplained-phenomena/are-ghost-lights-apparitions-dead-or-even-aliens.htm Accessed 18 Oct. 2020

In this article Diana Brown shows the popularity of these ghost lights and how these are seen in many places such as Arkansas, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and even in Michigan. The author states that tectonic plates underneath the Earth's surface that cause these ghostly apparitions. Others think that methane gas is the cause of these mysterious orbs of light.

Michael, D’esteries. “The Mystery of the Marfa Lights.” Treehugger. Jan. 2019.

https://www.treehugger.com/the-mystery-of-the-marfa-lights-4867866 Accessed 17 Oct. 2020.

The author of this article even emphasized specific routes such as U.S. Route 90 and towards the Chinati Mountains in Texas. The purpose of this article is that the author reveals these haunting, mysterious orbs of light which is still an unknowing tale till this day. Many groups who have come to witness this cultural phenomenon just think the Marfa Lights are just car headlights.

Rogers, Kaleigh “Scientists Can’t Fully Explain These Strange Floating Lights in Texas” Vice. May. 2017. https://www.vice.com/en/article/9aeapv/scientists-cant-fully-explain-these-strange-floating-lights-in-texas Accessed 18 Oct. 2020.

The author of this article thoroughly explains on why scientists can’t explain these mysterious lights. These lights have been documented as far as the 1800s. The Marfa Lights has invested $720,000 into expanding this exclusive visiting center.

Ghost Lights

Author: Brandon Saylor

Weird floating light appearing in the distance

The Brown Mountain Lights are some of the most famous ghost lights in the world. There have been multiple reports in the North Carolina mountains.The lights also attracted the attention of scientists. They have been investigated twice by the U.S. Geological Survey.The ghost lights appear at weird times over the top of Brown Mountain. They move vertically and are clear ,but it disappears as it goes over the mountain. Sometimes they have a red or blue look and almost look like a star. Most of the time, the lights pop up so fast were you can barely see them.

Dark gloomy lights fly over the Texas skyline

The Marfa Lights have entertained the people of Marfa, Texas for years. The light splits into two then flies around to then combined back into each other. These lights are one of the most popular ghost lights right next to the Brown Mountain ghost lights. People all over the world have traveled to see these lights for themselves. Local residents have speculated that the lights are from the devil and are dancing throughout the sky. There has also recently been a link to flying lights in the Southwest Pacific . Most ghost lights are not solved scientifically and still stay as a natural wonder.

Works cited:

Fiumi, Elettra. “The Mysterious ‘Ghost Lights’ of Marfa, Texas.’ BBC Travel, BBC,17 Jan. 2018, http://www.bbc.com/travel/gallery/20180116-the-mysterious-ghost-lights-of-marfa-texas

Grey, Orrin. “A Ghostly Glow in the Sky: What Are the Brown Mountain Lights?” The Lineup, Open Road Media, 26 Mar. 2018, https://the-line-up.com/brown-mountain-lights.

Marfa Lights

Author: Shelby Tasker

Weird Nature Phenomenon: Marfa’s Mystery Lights, Chinati Mountains, West Texas

This paranormal phenomenon we call “Marfa Lights” has been reported as glowing orbs across the Mitchell Flat, an area near Marfa where they’ve mostly been observed. Many witnesses have said the lights are all different colors such as white, blue, green, yellow and red. They have been reported to be as big as a basketball, and come in unpredictable directions, and distances. They can appear at any point of time throughout the year, on any day of the week, and in any weather condition for seconds at a time, or even hours. These puzzling lights are shoulder height, float above ground, or high in the air. They can split into two, dart across the sky, or melt into just one light.  They are usually reported ten to twenty times a year, and have yet to be seen during the day. In recent years the lights have become a tourist attraction. The Texas State Highway Department has constructed a viewing area a few miles away from Marfa for anyone to stop and enjoy the lights. The biggest mystery of all: we have no idea what causes the Marfa Lights.

There are thousands of explanations of the strangeness making the lights extremely controversial. Many researchers have tried coming up with a scientific reason for the lights, but have not had any luck. Therefore, many imaginers have come up with their own theory. Onlookers have described them as ghosts, and even UFOs. One explanation for these lights is the wandering ghosts from Spanish conquistadors who were looking for gold but were left behind, and will forever be around (Smith). Another theory is when World War I soldiers witnessed the lights; they feared the lights were an invasion (Smith).  Pilots of the war looked for the source from the helicopters, but had no luck.

The most logical theory found was researched by the Society of Physics Students at the University of Texas at Dallas to determine an origin of the Marfa lights. They set up video cameras and traffic monitoring boxes for their experiment. The purpose was to find if there was a correlation between the numbers of lights being observed and the number of cars of the nearest highway (Stolyarrow). When the videos were played at real-time, all the lights seemed to jump, float, and change colors. However, when the videos were played at high speeds the lights moved from left to right along a path, just like cars would (Stolyarrow). The experimenters concluded all the suspicious lights observed by this group and anyone else could be identified as car headlights traveling on US 67 through Texas.

According to Julia Smith, publisher of the Texas State Historical Association, the first historical record of the lights was in 1883. Robert Ellison saw a flickering light while driving some cattle. When he told others what he saw, they often saw the lights also while driving their cattle through Marfa. When they went to investigate, they found no ashes or any other evidence from campfires (Smith).  This theory makes it hard to believe the reasoning behind the lights are cars, because cars were not around that long ago. 

Marfa Lights Up Close

Although some of the ideas seem very logical, others seem quite far-fetched. No matter what the idea is, there isn’t enough research to support any of the theories. In all, every theory proposed is simply a speculation at this point with none of them having any proven facts.

Work Cited:

Darack, Ed. "Unlocking the atmospheric secrets of the Marfa mystery lights." Weatherwise. 61.3 (May-June 2008): p36. Academic OneFile. Article. 9 October 2013.

Hall, Michael. “The Truth is Out There.” Texas Monthly. June 2006. Web. 9 October 2013.

James, Peter. “Marfa Lights Up Close.” YouTube. Google. MP3 file. 18 February 2007. Web. 10 October 2013.

Lallanilla, Marc. “What are the Marfa Lights?” Livescience. Life’s Little Mysteries. 19 June 2013. Web. October 10, 2013.

Smith, Julia. “Marfa Lights.” Texas State Historical Association. n.d. Web. 13 October 2013.

Stolyarrow, Alexander. “An Experimental Analysis of the Marfa Lights.” University of Texas. 10 December 2005. Document. 10 October 2013.

“Weird Nature Phenomenon: Marfa’s Mystery Lights, Chinati Mountains, West Texas.” Photograph. Strange Sounds. 16 February 2013. Web. October 15, 2013.

Links for Further Research:

Marfa Lights Research. NightsOrbs. 2013. This website gives you a slide show of all the different images of the Marfa Lights.

The Marfa Lights. YouTube. Google 5 April 2011. Web. October 15, 2013. This video has interviews from the mayor of Marfa, Texas and other old-timers who have witnessed the lights first hand.

Hunting Marfa Lights. Amazon. n.d. Web. October 15, 2013. This website gives you a short summary of the book written by James Bunnel, “Hunting Marfa Lights,” and gives you the option to buy it. 

The Marfa Lights

Author: Bryce Saunders

Every small town in America has its local legends and folklore. However, none are quite as concrete and easy to spot as the mysterious Marfa Lights. The town of Marfa, Texas is located not far from the Mitchell Flat.  Looking out onto the flat from Marfa on most clear nights, you can see strange floating, blinking, and moving lights.  The source of these lights has been controversial ever since they were first reported. 

Marfa Light on the Mitchell Flat by J. Bunnell, 2007.

 Most critics believe the lights come from some type of reflection through the desert from headlights on nearby roads.  However, there are reports that date back to the late 1800s which would refute this idea altogether. Cars did become prominent in America until the 1900s. Many frontiersmen would search for these lights through the desert thinking they were actually Native Americans who intended to hurt or kill them, their families, or their livestock.

              
 However, cow herders and ranchers are not the only ones who have gone searching for the source of these lights though.  One local war veteran tried to chase the lights down with his plane, however could not find anything.  A group of scientists conducted experiments to find a scientific solution to the lights. They discovered that the lights matched up very precisely with cars passing on the near by highway. 

Video of the Marfa Lights in Marfa, Texas. 

However, this still does not explain how the lights were seen before cars came into existence.  Neither can scientists explain the high pitched noises many hear while observing the lights or the playful nature that the lights seem to have as people chase them (Kelley). Because the lights playfulness, there are also many ghost stories about the ghost lights, mainly by Native Americans.  Many believe the lights are lost lovers forever searching for each other.  Many others believe they are fallen warriors who will wander the Earth forever.  As much as people search and hypothesize theories for their existence, it is likely we will ever know for sure and that we should enjoy their sight rather than question their existence. 

Works Cited:

 Kelley. “The Marfa Lights”. Dave Republic. N.p. n.d. Web. 24 Oct, 2012.

J. Bunnell. “Marfa Lights View Park”. Photograph. “Mystery Lights”. Marfa Lights Research. Marfa Lights Research, 23 July 2007. Web. 25 Oct, 2012.

PJNARS. “Marfa Lights up close”. Youtube. 18 Feb 2007. Web. 25 Oct, 2012.

Links for Further Research:

Skeptoid

http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4038

Gives more information about the Marfa Lights and their existence.

Night Orbs

http://www.nightorbs.net/

Gives general information about what the Marfa Lights are.

SPNational

http://www.spsnational.org/wormhole/utd_sps_report.pdf

Gives a scientific explanation towards what the Marfa Lights are.