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Mysterious lights have been observed in the vicinity of [[Marfa]], [[Texas]], in the [[United States]] for many decades. They are now most commonly known as '''Marfa lights'''. But other terms, such as '''ghost lights''' are also mentioned. |
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The Marfa lights have gained a measure of fame as some observers, lacking a scientific explanation, have ascribed the lights to paranormal phenomena such as ghosts, UFOs, or [[Will-o'-the-wisp]]. Each year, Marfa celebrates its famous lights with the Marfa Lights Festival on Labor Day weekend. |
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== Viewing the lights == |
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Most of the lights have appeared on a 20-mile wide by 20-mile long expanse of land southeast of Marfa. This expanse has been called the ''Marfa flat'', ''Marfa plain'', and ''Mitchell flat'' (after the pioneering Mitchell family which settled on the land in the late 1800s). |
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The most common Marfa lights are seen from the Marfa Lights Viewing Center (MLVC) which is on the northern side of the Marfa flat about nine miles east of the town of Marfa on [[US 90|US90]]. Most of these lights originate from vehicles on [[US Route 67|US67]] that are traveling northward, down the mountainside, toward Marfa. The lights are about 20 miles away from both the viewing center and the town of Marfa. |
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The Texas Department of Transportation opened the MLVC in 2001 to provide visitors with a safe place to view the lights. The viewing deck is built well above the desert floor. It is angled toward the direction of the most commonly seen lights – that is, between southwest and west-southwest. The unattended center has restrooms, information about the lights, and binoculars for observing them. |
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⚫ | There is no easy way to approach an ongoing display of the Marfa lights, either from the MLVC or the ranch roads entering the Marfa flat. All of the land on the Marfa flat is private property, and access is prohibited without explicit permission from the owners. It would also be foolish to enter any of these properties on foot. Marfa sits in the Chihuahuan Desert. Rattle snakes hunt for food at night. |
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== Appearance of the Marfa lights == |
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Many popular reports have appeared over the years offering a great range of descriptions of the lights. It is said that the lights can be bright, dim, glowing, floating high in the air, or close to the ground. Colors are usually described as white, yellow, orange or red; but green and blue are sometimes reported. The balls are said to hover, or to move laterally at low speeds, or sometimes to shoot around rapidly in any direction. They often appear in pairs or groups, and are reported to divide into pairs or to merge, to disappear and reappear, and occasionally to move in seemingly regular patterns. Sometimes they are described as being the size of soccer balls or basket balls. Most commonly, they are the size of small white dots on the horizon. In fact, the range of descriptions of the appearances of the lights and their movements is so large that they do not seem to define anything specific. |
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⚫ | According to the people who claim to have seen the lights, they can persist from a fraction of a second to several hours. There is evidently no connection between appearances of the Marfa lights and anything else besides nighttime hours. They appear in all seasons of the year and in most weather conditions (except dense fog or torrential rain). They have been observed during late dusk and early dawn, when the landscape is dimly illuminated. They are viewable year round. There are no reliable reports of daytime sightings. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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The first published account of mysterious lights in the greater Marfa area came from Judge O.W. Williams.<ref>O.W Williams, ''Alsate, The Last of the Chisos Apaches'' (Pamphlet) ([n.p., n.d.]), pp. 1-8.</ref> His pamphlet (conceived around 1902 and published around 1920) recounted the story of an [[Mescalero|Apache Chief, Alsate]], who was killed by the Mexicans in [[Ojinaga, Mexico]] about 1880. (Ojinaga is across the Rio Grande from present day [[Presidio, Texas]]). Following Alsate’s death, his ghost was seen at night by people in the Big Bend region of Texas. O.W. Williams’ contribution to the literature of the Marfa lights is commemorated in a plaque at the MLVC. |
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The first published account of the lights appeared in the July 1957 issue of [[Coronet (magazine)|Coronet Magazine]],<ref>Paul Moran (July 1957) "The Mystery of the Texas Ghost Light," ''Coronet'' (magazine), '''42''' (3) : .</ref> {{Citation needed|date = April 2011}} the sole source for anecdotal claims that the lights date back to the 19th century. Reports often describe brightly glowing basketball-sized spheres floating above the ground, or sometimes high in the air. Colors are usually described as white, yellow, orange or red, but green and blue are sometimes reported. The balls are said to hover at about shoulder height, or to move laterally at low speeds, or sometimes, to shoot around rapidly in any direction. They often appear in pairs or groups, according to reports, to divide into pairs or to merge, to disappear and reappear, and sometimes to move in seemingly regular patterns. Their sizes are typically said to resemble soccer balls or basketballs. |
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The story of an Apache ghost appears again in the July 1957 issue of [[Coronet (magazine)|''Coronet'' magazine]].<ref>Paul Moran, “The Mysteries of the Texas Ghost Light”, ''Coronet'', vol. 42, no. 3 (1957 Jul), p. 57.</ref> Here, the term ''Ghost Light'' is used to describe the mysterious light seen at night. |
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Sightings are reported occasionally and unpredictably, perhaps 10 to 20 times a year. There are no reliable reports of daytime sightings. |
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In 1976, the mythology of the Marfa lights was treated by Elton Miles in his book, ''Tales of the Big Bend''.<ref>Elton Miles, ''Tales of the Big Bend'' (College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 1976), pp. 149-167.</ref> By the time of his book, the story of mysterious lights at Marfa had grown to mythical proportions, but it had not developed similarly on a factual basis. |
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⚫ | According to the people who claim to have seen the lights, they |
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The Marfa lights were featured as an episode, titled “Ghost Lights”, on the American TV series ''[[Unsolved Mysteries]]''.<ref>“Ghost Lights,” ''Unsolved Mysteries'' (Cosgrove/Meurer Productions, Inc., 1989.) In ''Ghosts, Unsolved Mysteries'', Volume 1. DVD. (Cosgrove/Meurer Productions, Inc., 2004). ISBN: 1-59241-919-4.</ref> Aired in 1989, the show presented several eye-witness accounts, and then invited a group of scientists from the [[McDonald Observatory]] and [[Sul Ross State University]] to examine the lights. The scientists (chemist, astronomer, and geologist) saw and photographed a light but were unable to identify it, or to explain its origin. |
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More recently, the lights were the subject of “Cantore Stories” on the [[Weather Channel]] on April 24, 2010. In this case, as in the Unsolved Mysteries episode, history and discussion of the lights were presented, and anecdotal accounts were given. But, there were no revealing videos of the lights, nor any explanation of their sources. |
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The state notes the lights in travel maps, the city has erected a viewing platform, and the Marfa Chamber of Commerce promotes the peculiar lights.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.marfacc.com/about/history.php |title=What's in a name |author= |date= |work=History |publisher=In the historic Paisano Hotel |accessdate=31 August 2010}}</ref> The weekend-long Marfa Lights Festival is held annually in the city's downtown. |
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In 1989, Judith Brueske began to move the written literature of the Marfa lights in a more fact-based direction, away from the primarily mythological form it had enjoyed since the first writings of O.W. Williams. Her book<ref>Judith M. Brueske, Ph.D., ''The Marfa Lights – Being a collection of first-hand accounts by people who have seen the lights close-up or in unusual circumstances, and related material'', revised edition. (Alpine, TX: Ocotillo Enterprises, 1989).</ref> contained reports of sightings of mysterious lights that had been personally seen by people she interviewed. No second-hand reports were included. In contrast to the many other accounts that are clearly of automobile lights, the stories in her book truly were strange and mysterious. |
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The lights were the subject of a segment on the American TV series ''[[Unsolved Mysteries]]''. The show presented several eye-witness accounts, and then invited a group of people described as scientists to explain the lights. |
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About a decade later, James Bunnell sought to understand the mystery by photographing lights on the Marfa flat and adjoining mountainsides. He used cameras that he personally operated as well as automated cameras placed on the Marfa flat. His photographic activities continued for almost 10 years, yielding a book in 2003<ref>James Bunnell, ''Night Orbs'' (Cedar Creek, TX: Lacey Publishing Co., 2003).</ref> and another in 2009.<ref>James Bunnell, ''Hunting Marfa Lights'' (Benbrook, TX: Lacey Publishing Co., 2009).</ref> In addition to photographing the lights, he teamed with Karl D. Stephan ''et al.''<ref>Karl Stephan, Sagar Ghimire, William Stapleton, and James Bunnell, “Spectroscopy applied to observations of terrestrial light sources of uncertain origin,” ''American Journal of Physics,'' vol. 77, no. 8 (2009 Aug), pp. 698-703. http://uweb.txstate.edu/~ks22/pdfs/mlpaper_ajp.pdf</ref> in an examination of the spectra of various light sources to see if any uniqueness would identify the light as belonging to the “mysterious” category. No such signature was found. |
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Ultimately, Bunnell concluded that Marfa light appearances are rare. According to Bunnell, the odds of a true Marfa light being seen on a randomly chosen night are about 3 percent.<ref>Bunnell, ''Hunting Marfa Lights'', p. 188.</ref> |
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But, if you visit the MLVC on any evening that isn’t fogged in or experiencing a torrential downpour, you will see lights moving about, dividing and merging, etc. These are vehicle lights, and Bunnell has simply defined them not to be part of the family of Marfa lights. |
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The vehicle lights that Bunnell is excluding are the very ones for which the MLVC was built. And, they were thoroughly investigated in May 2004 by a group of physics students from the [[University of Texas at Dallas]] (UTD).<ref>Society of Physics Students, “An Experimental Analysis of the Marfa Lights,” December 10, 2005, University of Texas at Dallas. http://uweb.txstate.edu/~ks22/pdfs/mlpaper_ajp.pdf</ref> The students spent four days recording lights observed southwest of the MLVC using traffic-volume monitoring equipment, video cameras, binoculars, and chase cars. Their report contained the following conclusions: |
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The most recent contribution to the history and technology of the Marfa lights appeared in the early part of 2013. Robert and Judy Wagers conducted an extensive review of the history of mysterious light sightings in the greater Marfa region from the earliest myths up to modern times. From this, they culled out first-hand reports (some from Brueske’s book) for scientific investigation. |
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Their analyses examined the luminous properties of a light source, the transmission properties of air, and the physics of light propagation to determine from what distance a light could be seen. These facts were combined with spectral information (in some cases), geographical information, and meteorological facts at the times the sightings occurred, to produce likely explanations for the bizarre light sightings. In addition to explaining the US67 lights, their book<ref>Robert Wagers and Judy Wagers, ''Mysteries of the Marfa Lights Revealed'' (Richardson, TX: R&J Books Unique, 2013).</ref> presents: |
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:* Mysterious lights seen from the town of Marfa in 1928-1932, |
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:* A mirage that twists road stripes sideways, |
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:* Mountains that seem to move closer, as Robert Reed Ellison described in his 1937 memoirs about his 1883 trip across the Marfa plain, |
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:* Lights that change color, |
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:* Lights that move upward at Aragon, Texas and on the 101 Flat east of Marfa, and |
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:* A blue-green ball of light on top of a red ball of light that chased a car. |
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==Reports of similar nocturnal lights== |
==Reports of similar nocturnal lights== |
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Appearances of apparently similar lights have been reported worldwide. [[Will-o'-the-wisp]], is a good example of such a paranormal phenomenon. A more scientifically based example of optical phenomena similar to the Marfa lights comes from the [[Min Min light|Min Min lights]] of Australia.<ref>John D. Pettigrew, “The Min Min light and the Fata Morgana – An optical account of a mysterious Australian Phenomenon,” ''Clinical and Experimental Optometry'', vol. 86, no. 2 (2003), pp. 109-120.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1444-0938.2003.tb03069.x/pdf</ref> An example of automobile lights seen at great distance, like those on US67 outside of Marfa, are the [[Spooklights]] seen on US66 from a location in Oklahoma just across the border from Hornet, Missouri. These same lights were previously described in a 1965 publication of ''Popular Mechanics''.<ref>Robert Gannon, “Balls O’ Fire! PM Tracks Down the Ozark Spooklight,” ''Popular Mechanics'', vol. 124, no. 3 (1965 Sep), pp. 116-119. http://books.google.com/books?id=BOMDAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&lr=&rview=1#v=onepage&q&f=false</ref> |
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Appearances of apparently similar lights have been reported worldwide, such as the ''[[Will-o'-the-wisp|Ghost lights]]'' natural phenomenon. |
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==Explanations== |
==Explanations== |
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Skeptics discount paranormal sources for the lights, attributing them to mistaken sightings of ordinary nighttime lights, such as distant vehicle lights, ranch lights, or astronomical objects. Critics also note that the MLVC is located at the site of the [[Marfa Army Airfield]], where tens of thousands of personnel were stationed between 1942 and 1946, training American and Allied pilots. This massive field was then used for years as a regional airport, with daily airline service. In addition to the Marfa AAF, there were seven auxiliary army air fields, each constantly patrolled by sentries. Critics consider it unlikely that any actual mysterious phenomena would have remained unobserved, unmentioned, and unfound by the U.S. Army. |
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The dominant explanation is that the lights are a sort of [[Fata Morgana (mirage)|mirage]] caused by sharp temperature gradients between cold and warm layers of air.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4038|title=''The Marfa Lights: A Real American Mystery: What is the cause of the mysterious ghost lights outside Marfa, Texas?'' |author=[[Brian Dunning (skeptic)|Brian Dunning]] |publisher=[[Skeptoid|Skeptoid: Critical Analysis of Pop Phenomena]]|date=2007-04-11 |accessdate=2012-05-11}}</ref> Marfa is located at an altitude of 4,688 feet (1,429 m) above sea level, and temperature differentials of 50–60 degrees Fahrenheit (28–33 degrees Celsius) between high and low temperature are quite common. |
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The modern equivalent of that argument is that no rancher in the Marfa area would allow an unexplained, repeatable, light on his property to go unchallenged. If the rancher couldn’t resolve the origin of the light, he’d call in the U.S. Border Patrol, which maintains a very high presence in the area. |
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To explain what the Marfa lights are, we need a working definition of what a Marfa light is. It was noted above that Bunnell excluded known lights from the family of ''“true”'' Marfa lights. But that decision is arbitrary, and dismisses the documentation that lights (now shown to be headlights on US67) have been seen regularly from the vicinity of the current MLVC at least as far back as the 1920s. And, Marfa residents viewing these lights referred to them as “Marfa lights” and “ghost lights”.<ref>"Ghost Lights,"''Unsolved Mysteries'' video. Reference 4.</ref> |
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The four-night effort by [[UT Dallas]] students (see SPS study below) focused on automobile lights and reached a conclusion that vehicle lights can be seen from the View Park. The Aerial Hyperspectral and Reflection Study (see below) also focused for one night on reflected vehicle lights on Highway 67. These studies showed that car lights can be seen from the View Park and they do look mysterious to many View Park visitors. It is easily shown that automobile headlights are very visible over great distances, and Marfa lights observations can be dismissed as automobile headlights and atmospheric reflections of known sources of lights. |
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Since every light seen on and around the Marfa flat is called a “Marfa light” by someone, they all need to be considered in any comprehensive explanation. To help organize the possible light options, it is useful to associate them with four questions: |
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This study is a confirmation of the study published in the September, 1965 issue of Popular Mechanics Magazine on Page 116 |
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[[File:Marfa Lights Taxonomy Tree.jpg|500x401px|framed|right|<big>'''Marfa Lights Decision Tree'''</big>]] |
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:* Is the light visible on a repeatable basis (say every evening)? |
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==The 2004 Society of Physics Students investigation== |
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:* Is the light stationary or moving? |
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In May 2004, a group from The [[Society of Physics Students]] at the [[University of Texas at Dallas]] spent four days investigating and recording lights observed southwest of the view park using traffic volume monitoring equipment, video cameras, binoculars, and chase cars. Their report made the following conclusions:<ref>[http://www.spsnational.org/wormhole/utd_sps_report.pdf An Experimental Analysis of the Marfa Lights] The Society of Physics Students at the University of Dallas, 2004</ref> |
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:* Is it above or below the horizon? |
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:* Is the light white, or colored? |
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The decision tree on the chart provides possible answers to these four questions. The chart is divided into two segments. The upper portion is a decision tree for lights that are repeatable. The lower portion is a decision tree for lights whose appearance is not repeatable. |
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A few bits of analysis, like the one above about using the U.S. Border Patrol will lead to possible sources of light such as those shown on the right-hand side of the chart. One major conclusion is that if the light appears in a location repeatedly, it’s not mysterious at all. The very fact that it appears regularly will cause someone to determine what the light is. But, even though it is not “mysterious”, it’s still a “Marfa light”. |
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==Spectroscopic study== |
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For 20 nights in May 2008, scientists from Texas State University used spectroscopic equipment to observe lights from the Marfa lights viewing station. They recorded a number of lights that "could have been mistaken for lights of unknown origin," but in each case the movements of the lights and the data from their equipment could be easily explained as automobile headlights, or small fires.<ref>[http://uweb.txstate.edu/~ks22/pdfs/MLPaper_AJP.pdf Spectroscopy applied to observations of terrestrial light sources of uncertain origin] Karl D. Stephan et. all, 2009</ref> |
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All the sources that are not repeatable are potentially mysterious. And, they each require a different explanation. The chart also shows that some of the lights in the “not repeatable” category (which are colored green) are from well-known sources. But, if you only get to see a light once, you are not likely to discover that it is a common source of light. To you, it will remain a mystery. The sources colored yellow are mysterious in some way. They also constitute a very small fraction of the possible lights seen during the hours after sunset. |
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In addition to the possible sources of the lights, there arise questions about the appearances of the lights. The explanations of appearances are different from the explanations of sources. |
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One phenomenon mentioned by believers and skeptics alike is that the lights experience some sort of interaction with the temperature gradients in the air over the Marfa plain. In the treatment of the mysterious lights done by the Wagers couple, they included refraction of the light beam in their analyses. It was shown to have an effect in all cases. But, it was not always the dominant effect needed for an explanation. |
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==Location== |
==Location== |
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<gallery> |
<gallery> |
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Image:TXMap-doton-Marfa.PNG|[[Marfa, Texas]] is located at {{Coord|30|18|43|N|104|1|29|W}}.{{GR|1}} |
Image:TXMap-doton-Marfa.PNG|[[Marfa, Texas]] is located at {{Coord|30|18|43|N|104|1|29|W}}.{{GR|1}} |
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Image:marfa lights.png|The "Marfa Lights" label within this image shows where |
Image:marfa lights.png|The "Marfa Lights" label within this image shows where lights are most commonly seen on Highway 67. However, lights can be seen anywhere on the Marfa flat south of the MLVC with viewing directions ranging from east to south to west. |
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</gallery> |
</gallery> |
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*[[Will-o'-the-wisp]] |
*[[Will-o'-the-wisp]] |
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*[[Fata Morgana (mirage)]] |
*[[Fata Morgana (mirage)]] |
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*[[Min Min light|Min Min lights]] |
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*[[Boom Boom]] |
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*[[Spook Light|Spook Lights]] |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{reflist|2}} |
{{reflist|2}} |
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== |
==Other sources== |
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* Judith M. Brueske, Ph.D., "The Marfa Lights, Being a Collection of First-Hand Accounts by People Who Have Seen the Lights Close-Up or in Unusual Circumstances, and Related Material," Second Revised Edition, Ocotillo Enterprises, P.O. Box 195, Alpine, Texas 79831, USA, 1989; |
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* James Bunnell, "Night Orbs," Lacey Publishing Company, 29 Bounty Road West, Benbrook, TX 76132-1003, USA, 2003; |
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* Herbert Lindee, "Ghosts Lights of Texas," [[Skeptical Inquirer]], Vol. 166, No. 4, Summer 1992, pp. 400–406; |
* Herbert Lindee, "Ghosts Lights of Texas," [[Skeptical Inquirer]], Vol. 166, No. 4, Summer 1992, pp. 400–406; |
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* Elton Miles, "Tales of the Big Bend," Texas A&M University Press, 1976, pp. 149–167; |
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* Paul Moran, "The Mystery of the Texas Ghost Light," [[Coronet (magazine)|Coronet Magazine]], July 1957; |
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* Dennis Stacy, "The Marfa Lights, A Viewer's Guide," Seale & Stacy, Box 12434, San Antonio, Texas 78212, USA, 1989; |
* Dennis Stacy, "The Marfa Lights, A Viewer's Guide," Seale & Stacy, Box 12434, San Antonio, Texas 78212, USA, 1989; |
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* David Stipp, "Marfa, Texas, Finds a Flickering Fame in Mystery Lights," [[Wall Street Journal]], March 21, 1984, p. A1. |
* David Stipp, "Marfa, Texas, Finds a Flickering Fame in Mystery Lights," [[Wall Street Journal]], March 21, 1984, p. A1. |
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* [http://www.skepdic.com/marfa.html "Marfa Lights"] – from the ''[[Skeptic's Dictionary]]'' |
* [http://www.skepdic.com/marfa.html "Marfa Lights"] – from the ''[[Skeptic's Dictionary]]'' |
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* [http://www.unexplainedstuff.com/Ghosts-and-Phantoms/Ghostly-Beings.html Discussion of the Marfa Lights (and other 'ghost lights')] |
* [http://www.unexplainedstuff.com/Ghosts-and-Phantoms/Ghostly-Beings.html Discussion of the Marfa Lights (and other 'ghost lights')] |
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* [http://www. |
* [http://www.marfalightsresearch.com/ Marfa Lights Research] |
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* [http://www.marfalightsmysteries.com Marfa Lights Mysteries] |
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{{UFOs}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Marfa lights}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marfa lights}} |
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[[Category:Reportedly haunted locations in the United States]] |
[[Category:Reportedly haunted locations in the United States]] |
Revision as of 15:45, 28 May 2013
Mysterious lights have been observed in the vicinity of Marfa, Texas, in the United States for many decades. They are now most commonly known as Marfa lights. But other terms, such as ghost lights are also mentioned.
The Marfa lights have gained a measure of fame as some observers, lacking a scientific explanation, have ascribed the lights to paranormal phenomena such as ghosts, UFOs, or Will-o'-the-wisp. Each year, Marfa celebrates its famous lights with the Marfa Lights Festival on Labor Day weekend.
Viewing the lights
Most of the lights have appeared on a 20-mile wide by 20-mile long expanse of land southeast of Marfa. This expanse has been called the Marfa flat, Marfa plain, and Mitchell flat (after the pioneering Mitchell family which settled on the land in the late 1800s).
The most common Marfa lights are seen from the Marfa Lights Viewing Center (MLVC) which is on the northern side of the Marfa flat about nine miles east of the town of Marfa on US90. Most of these lights originate from vehicles on US67 that are traveling northward, down the mountainside, toward Marfa. The lights are about 20 miles away from both the viewing center and the town of Marfa.
The Texas Department of Transportation opened the MLVC in 2001 to provide visitors with a safe place to view the lights. The viewing deck is built well above the desert floor. It is angled toward the direction of the most commonly seen lights – that is, between southwest and west-southwest. The unattended center has restrooms, information about the lights, and binoculars for observing them.
There is no easy way to approach an ongoing display of the Marfa lights, either from the MLVC or the ranch roads entering the Marfa flat. All of the land on the Marfa flat is private property, and access is prohibited without explicit permission from the owners. It would also be foolish to enter any of these properties on foot. Marfa sits in the Chihuahuan Desert. Rattle snakes hunt for food at night.
Appearance of the Marfa lights
Many popular reports have appeared over the years offering a great range of descriptions of the lights. It is said that the lights can be bright, dim, glowing, floating high in the air, or close to the ground. Colors are usually described as white, yellow, orange or red; but green and blue are sometimes reported. The balls are said to hover, or to move laterally at low speeds, or sometimes to shoot around rapidly in any direction. They often appear in pairs or groups, and are reported to divide into pairs or to merge, to disappear and reappear, and occasionally to move in seemingly regular patterns. Sometimes they are described as being the size of soccer balls or basket balls. Most commonly, they are the size of small white dots on the horizon. In fact, the range of descriptions of the appearances of the lights and their movements is so large that they do not seem to define anything specific.
According to the people who claim to have seen the lights, they can persist from a fraction of a second to several hours. There is evidently no connection between appearances of the Marfa lights and anything else besides nighttime hours. They appear in all seasons of the year and in most weather conditions (except dense fog or torrential rain). They have been observed during late dusk and early dawn, when the landscape is dimly illuminated. They are viewable year round. There are no reliable reports of daytime sightings.
History
The first published account of mysterious lights in the greater Marfa area came from Judge O.W. Williams.[1] His pamphlet (conceived around 1902 and published around 1920) recounted the story of an Apache Chief, Alsate, who was killed by the Mexicans in Ojinaga, Mexico about 1880. (Ojinaga is across the Rio Grande from present day Presidio, Texas). Following Alsate’s death, his ghost was seen at night by people in the Big Bend region of Texas. O.W. Williams’ contribution to the literature of the Marfa lights is commemorated in a plaque at the MLVC.
The story of an Apache ghost appears again in the July 1957 issue of Coronet magazine.[2] Here, the term Ghost Light is used to describe the mysterious light seen at night.
In 1976, the mythology of the Marfa lights was treated by Elton Miles in his book, Tales of the Big Bend.[3] By the time of his book, the story of mysterious lights at Marfa had grown to mythical proportions, but it had not developed similarly on a factual basis.
The Marfa lights were featured as an episode, titled “Ghost Lights”, on the American TV series Unsolved Mysteries.[4] Aired in 1989, the show presented several eye-witness accounts, and then invited a group of scientists from the McDonald Observatory and Sul Ross State University to examine the lights. The scientists (chemist, astronomer, and geologist) saw and photographed a light but were unable to identify it, or to explain its origin.
More recently, the lights were the subject of “Cantore Stories” on the Weather Channel on April 24, 2010. In this case, as in the Unsolved Mysteries episode, history and discussion of the lights were presented, and anecdotal accounts were given. But, there were no revealing videos of the lights, nor any explanation of their sources.
In 1989, Judith Brueske began to move the written literature of the Marfa lights in a more fact-based direction, away from the primarily mythological form it had enjoyed since the first writings of O.W. Williams. Her book[5] contained reports of sightings of mysterious lights that had been personally seen by people she interviewed. No second-hand reports were included. In contrast to the many other accounts that are clearly of automobile lights, the stories in her book truly were strange and mysterious.
About a decade later, James Bunnell sought to understand the mystery by photographing lights on the Marfa flat and adjoining mountainsides. He used cameras that he personally operated as well as automated cameras placed on the Marfa flat. His photographic activities continued for almost 10 years, yielding a book in 2003[6] and another in 2009.[7] In addition to photographing the lights, he teamed with Karl D. Stephan et al.[8] in an examination of the spectra of various light sources to see if any uniqueness would identify the light as belonging to the “mysterious” category. No such signature was found.
Ultimately, Bunnell concluded that Marfa light appearances are rare. According to Bunnell, the odds of a true Marfa light being seen on a randomly chosen night are about 3 percent.[9]
But, if you visit the MLVC on any evening that isn’t fogged in or experiencing a torrential downpour, you will see lights moving about, dividing and merging, etc. These are vehicle lights, and Bunnell has simply defined them not to be part of the family of Marfa lights.
The vehicle lights that Bunnell is excluding are the very ones for which the MLVC was built. And, they were thoroughly investigated in May 2004 by a group of physics students from the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD).[10] The students spent four days recording lights observed southwest of the MLVC using traffic-volume monitoring equipment, video cameras, binoculars, and chase cars. Their report contained the following conclusions:
- U.S. Highway 67 is visible from the MLVC.
- The frequency of lights southwest of the MLVC correlates with the frequency of vehicle traffic on US67.
- The motion of the observed lights was in a straight line, corresponding to US67.
- When the group parked a vehicle on US67 and flashed its headlights, the flashing lights were visible at the MLVC and appeared to be a Marfa light.
- A car passing the parked vehicle on US67 appeared as one Marfa light passing another to a viewer at the MLVC.
The UTD students came to the conclusion that all of the lights observed over a four-night period southwest of the MLVC could be reliably attributed to automobile headlights traveling along US67 between Presidio and Marfa, Texas.
The most recent contribution to the history and technology of the Marfa lights appeared in the early part of 2013. Robert and Judy Wagers conducted an extensive review of the history of mysterious light sightings in the greater Marfa region from the earliest myths up to modern times. From this, they culled out first-hand reports (some from Brueske’s book) for scientific investigation.
Their analyses examined the luminous properties of a light source, the transmission properties of air, and the physics of light propagation to determine from what distance a light could be seen. These facts were combined with spectral information (in some cases), geographical information, and meteorological facts at the times the sightings occurred, to produce likely explanations for the bizarre light sightings. In addition to explaining the US67 lights, their book[11] presents:
- Mysterious lights seen from the town of Marfa in 1928-1932,
- A mirage that twists road stripes sideways,
- Mountains that seem to move closer, as Robert Reed Ellison described in his 1937 memoirs about his 1883 trip across the Marfa plain,
- Lights that change color,
- Lights that move upward at Aragon, Texas and on the 101 Flat east of Marfa, and
- A blue-green ball of light on top of a red ball of light that chased a car.
Reports of similar nocturnal lights
Appearances of apparently similar lights have been reported worldwide. Will-o'-the-wisp, is a good example of such a paranormal phenomenon. A more scientifically based example of optical phenomena similar to the Marfa lights comes from the Min Min lights of Australia.[12] An example of automobile lights seen at great distance, like those on US67 outside of Marfa, are the Spooklights seen on US66 from a location in Oklahoma just across the border from Hornet, Missouri. These same lights were previously described in a 1965 publication of Popular Mechanics.[13]
Explanations
Skeptics discount paranormal sources for the lights, attributing them to mistaken sightings of ordinary nighttime lights, such as distant vehicle lights, ranch lights, or astronomical objects. Critics also note that the MLVC is located at the site of the Marfa Army Airfield, where tens of thousands of personnel were stationed between 1942 and 1946, training American and Allied pilots. This massive field was then used for years as a regional airport, with daily airline service. In addition to the Marfa AAF, there were seven auxiliary army air fields, each constantly patrolled by sentries. Critics consider it unlikely that any actual mysterious phenomena would have remained unobserved, unmentioned, and unfound by the U.S. Army.
The modern equivalent of that argument is that no rancher in the Marfa area would allow an unexplained, repeatable, light on his property to go unchallenged. If the rancher couldn’t resolve the origin of the light, he’d call in the U.S. Border Patrol, which maintains a very high presence in the area.
To explain what the Marfa lights are, we need a working definition of what a Marfa light is. It was noted above that Bunnell excluded known lights from the family of “true” Marfa lights. But that decision is arbitrary, and dismisses the documentation that lights (now shown to be headlights on US67) have been seen regularly from the vicinity of the current MLVC at least as far back as the 1920s. And, Marfa residents viewing these lights referred to them as “Marfa lights” and “ghost lights”.[14]
Since every light seen on and around the Marfa flat is called a “Marfa light” by someone, they all need to be considered in any comprehensive explanation. To help organize the possible light options, it is useful to associate them with four questions:
- Is the light visible on a repeatable basis (say every evening)?
- Is the light stationary or moving?
- Is it above or below the horizon?
- Is the light white, or colored?
The decision tree on the chart provides possible answers to these four questions. The chart is divided into two segments. The upper portion is a decision tree for lights that are repeatable. The lower portion is a decision tree for lights whose appearance is not repeatable.
A few bits of analysis, like the one above about using the U.S. Border Patrol will lead to possible sources of light such as those shown on the right-hand side of the chart. One major conclusion is that if the light appears in a location repeatedly, it’s not mysterious at all. The very fact that it appears regularly will cause someone to determine what the light is. But, even though it is not “mysterious”, it’s still a “Marfa light”.
All the sources that are not repeatable are potentially mysterious. And, they each require a different explanation. The chart also shows that some of the lights in the “not repeatable” category (which are colored green) are from well-known sources. But, if you only get to see a light once, you are not likely to discover that it is a common source of light. To you, it will remain a mystery. The sources colored yellow are mysterious in some way. They also constitute a very small fraction of the possible lights seen during the hours after sunset.
In addition to the possible sources of the lights, there arise questions about the appearances of the lights. The explanations of appearances are different from the explanations of sources.
One phenomenon mentioned by believers and skeptics alike is that the lights experience some sort of interaction with the temperature gradients in the air over the Marfa plain. In the treatment of the mysterious lights done by the Wagers couple, they included refraction of the light beam in their analyses. It was shown to have an effect in all cases. But, it was not always the dominant effect needed for an explanation.
Location
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The "Marfa Lights" label within this image shows where lights are most commonly seen on Highway 67. However, lights can be seen anywhere on the Marfa flat south of the MLVC with viewing directions ranging from east to south to west.
See also
References
- ^ O.W Williams, Alsate, The Last of the Chisos Apaches (Pamphlet) ([n.p., n.d.]), pp. 1-8.
- ^ Paul Moran, “The Mysteries of the Texas Ghost Light”, Coronet, vol. 42, no. 3 (1957 Jul), p. 57.
- ^ Elton Miles, Tales of the Big Bend (College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 1976), pp. 149-167.
- ^ “Ghost Lights,” Unsolved Mysteries (Cosgrove/Meurer Productions, Inc., 1989.) In Ghosts, Unsolved Mysteries, Volume 1. DVD. (Cosgrove/Meurer Productions, Inc., 2004). ISBN: 1-59241-919-4.
- ^ Judith M. Brueske, Ph.D., The Marfa Lights – Being a collection of first-hand accounts by people who have seen the lights close-up or in unusual circumstances, and related material, revised edition. (Alpine, TX: Ocotillo Enterprises, 1989).
- ^ James Bunnell, Night Orbs (Cedar Creek, TX: Lacey Publishing Co., 2003).
- ^ James Bunnell, Hunting Marfa Lights (Benbrook, TX: Lacey Publishing Co., 2009).
- ^ Karl Stephan, Sagar Ghimire, William Stapleton, and James Bunnell, “Spectroscopy applied to observations of terrestrial light sources of uncertain origin,” American Journal of Physics, vol. 77, no. 8 (2009 Aug), pp. 698-703. http://uweb.txstate.edu/~ks22/pdfs/mlpaper_ajp.pdf
- ^ Bunnell, Hunting Marfa Lights, p. 188.
- ^ Society of Physics Students, “An Experimental Analysis of the Marfa Lights,” December 10, 2005, University of Texas at Dallas. http://uweb.txstate.edu/~ks22/pdfs/mlpaper_ajp.pdf
- ^ Robert Wagers and Judy Wagers, Mysteries of the Marfa Lights Revealed (Richardson, TX: R&J Books Unique, 2013).
- ^ John D. Pettigrew, “The Min Min light and the Fata Morgana – An optical account of a mysterious Australian Phenomenon,” Clinical and Experimental Optometry, vol. 86, no. 2 (2003), pp. 109-120.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1444-0938.2003.tb03069.x/pdf
- ^ Robert Gannon, “Balls O’ Fire! PM Tracks Down the Ozark Spooklight,” Popular Mechanics, vol. 124, no. 3 (1965 Sep), pp. 116-119. http://books.google.com/books?id=BOMDAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&lr=&rview=1#v=onepage&q&f=false
- ^ "Ghost Lights,"Unsolved Mysteries video. Reference 4.
Other sources
- Herbert Lindee, "Ghosts Lights of Texas," Skeptical Inquirer, Vol. 166, No. 4, Summer 1992, pp. 400–406;
- Dennis Stacy, "The Marfa Lights, A Viewer's Guide," Seale & Stacy, Box 12434, San Antonio, Texas 78212, USA, 1989;
- David Stipp, "Marfa, Texas, Finds a Flickering Fame in Mystery Lights," Wall Street Journal, March 21, 1984, p. A1.