Marfa Lights


I have long been fascinated with the Marfa Lights. Really, that fascination goes beyond the Marfa Lights and includes any example of “mystery lights”—strange lights that appear and move in an erratic manner without a known cause. 

Most think atmospheric conditions cause these weird mystery lights to appear in the night sky. But truthfully, no one knows how or why this occurs. The mystery light phenomenon is truly an enigma.

One of the most well-known manifestations of mystery lights or “ghost lights” takes place at Brown Mountain in North Carolina’s Pisgah National Forest. I have visited a couple of times and the lights did not disappoint. Lights appeared and disappeared on the mountain, often looking like twinkling stars. The lights sometimes changed colors to a yellow, orange or red and they would float or sometimes quickly dart from side to side.

Another famous example of mystery lights is the aforementioned Marfa Lights. These lights appear in the desert outside the west Texas town of Marfa. According to visitmarfa.com:

The Marfa Lights—or Marfa Mystery Lights, as some call them—are a top reason to visit Marfa, drawing visitors from around the globe for a chance to see these unexplained phenomena. Accounts of the strange spectacle just east of Marfa began during the 19th century and continue to this day.

Ranchers, Native Americans, high school sweethearts and famous meteorologists alike have reported seeing seemingly sourceless lights dance on the horizon southeast of town, an area that is nearly uninhabited and extremely difficult to traverse. The mystery lights are sometimes red, sometimes blue, sometimes white, and usually appear randomly throughout the night, no matter the season or the weather.

While the source of the mystery lights is still a point of contention, the show goes on. By most reports, they are whimsical and friendly; other witnesses maintain that they are ever distant and aloof; and some sources claim they zoom across the plains at terrifying speed, only to whip back around and dissolve before hitting the dumbstruck viewer.

visitmarfa.com

I spent a couple of weeks in West Texas in January 2021, and while there, I visited the Marfa Lights Viewing Area. Shortly after dusk, the lights began to appear. At first, they reminded me of the Brown Mountain Lights, but their movements seemed to be a little different. At different times, I observed the lights turn and elongate—they almost looked like a glowing shield for lack of a better description. They would slowly turn again and vanish as quickly as they appeared.

I watched the lights for about an hour. There were periods when nothing was visible, but for the most part, the lights were active during the time I was there. It was truly an awesome experience beyond my ability to describe it. I did get some photos and videos of the lights, but unfortunately, they are not of the quality I would like to be able to post here.

If you would like to read more about my travels and the fascinating places I visit, check out my Detours Into the Paranormal series.

  

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