Mystery Spots: Places Where Bizarre Forces Obscure Reality

By Anna Goldwater Alexander  

Lat: 30.3402  N || Long: -104.1298 W

Marfa
Texas—Hovering orbs of light in the night sky

The Mystery: Each evening, along a certain stretch of US Route 90, the Marfa Lights cast a delicate glow along the Texas horizon. Appearing one or two at a time, each sphere appears to hover at eye level and sparkle like a disco ball. Since these elusive beams were first documented in the late 19th century, theories abound—there are at least 75 local folktales suggesting the lights are everything from little volcanoes to St. Elmo's fire.

The Reality: In 2005, a team of physics students at the University of Texas at Dallas found that "all the lights reliably observed during the experiment were car headlights." A logical assertion today, but what about their first appearance in 1883?
Photo Portfolio: Uta Kögelsberger

Uta says she took this photo from the Marfa Lights viewing platform with a digital camera set at a six-minute exposure. Uta says the lights were at least a mile away and that "they were probably car headlights." Regardless, she did meet locals who said they've seen them, including a bartender who told Uta a disturbing story of being "followed by the lights." True story or just a tall tale to enhance the local folklore?

US Route 90 on the way to photograph Marfa Lights in Marfa, Texas.

Plaque in the Marfa Lights View Shelter in Marfa, Texas.

Marfa Lights view shelter.



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