What do the marfa lights look like

Then in , they finally organised the inaugural Marfa Lights Festival. Thirty-two years later, the annual festival is still held each September, and it now attracts thousands of spectators. Mysteries make life interesting. To the Ends of the Earth Remote Places. Share using Email. For more than years, people have reported strange lights above the horizon in Marfa, Texas. Marfa, Texas. Unsolved mystery: What are the Marfa lights? Marfa Lights, Texas.

Real and surreal: Where to see the Marfa lights. Lovers of the paranormal have attributed the Marfa Lights to everything from space aliens to the wandering ghosts of Spanish conquistadors. Academics, too, have tried to offer a scientific explanation for the enigmatic lights. A group of physics students from the University of Texas at Dallas concluded that headlights from vehicles on nearby U. Highway 67 could explain at least some of the reported sightings of the Marfa Lights.

Another possible explanation is the refraction of light caused by layers of air at different temperatures. This optical illusion, sometimes called a superior mirage or a "Fata Morgana," according to Skeptoid. A Fata Morgana is sometimes seen in the ocean, causing a ship to appear to float above the horizon.

The temperature gradients needed to produce this optical effect are common in the West Texas desert. Still others speculate the Marfa Lights may be caused by the same gases that create the glowing lights associated with swamp gas: phosphine PH3 and methane CH4. Others say swamp gas, aliens, or the ghosts of conquistadors. The viewing platform nine miles east of Marfa on US—90 is the go-to stop.

Arrive there before the sun sets to get your bearings, note the faraway line of the Chinati Mountains, locate the radio tower, and study the highway. Back in the one-traffic-light town, stay at the Hotel Paisano , where James Dean obsessed over the lights while filming Giant here in Maybe he knew too much? Skip to main content Travel. Nearly years later, nobody actually knows. How to see the Marfa Lights.