From electroquake@... Tue Jul 02 20:56:35 2002
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Date: Tue, 2 Jul 2002 20:56:32 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: [mysterylights] Marfa Mystery Lights
To: mysterylights@yahoogroups.com
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From: "M. Adams" <electroquake@...>
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Hi Sandy, 

I am a scientist who has been studying and
photographing earth lights at several locations, Marfa
among them.

One must be very careful about assuming you have seen
the Marfa Lights.  About 85% of them are actually car
headlights, mostly from two highways to the east of
the Marfa Lights Viewing area.  Both highways climb
the Chinati mountains. They are windy and have dips. 
The effect is that lights seem to appear, disappear
(in dips) and change intensity as the headlight beams
point directly at the viewing area then turn away.
Multiple cars along the road can give the appearance
of "splitting" and moving together.  These roads are
about 25 miles away, nonetheless headlights are easily
seen at that distance and often photographed as Marfa
lights at the viewing area. Car Headlight can also
appear to sparkle and change color due to atmospheric
disturbances.   

Nonetheless, there are some lights that cannot be
explained as car headlights.  Often these lights are 
orange in color, but can also be white or
multicolored.  The ones  I have photographed that are
probably not car headlights appear to scintillate or
"sparkle" more than other lights in the area. So if
you are looking for "real" Marfa lights look for the
ones that sparkle.  The ones that have a constant
shape such as ovals are probably car headlights.  The
real ones change shape rapidly. 

There are many theories to explain the lights.  Many
physicists think they may be plasma of some sort but
cannot explain how the plasma is contained.  Others
have proposed the lights are a type of mirage or
reflection.  (Having seen and photographed the lights
I don't believe that one for a minute!) If you go to
the library at Sul Ross University in Alpine, there is
as collection of newspaper articles that offer many
theories and explanations for the lights as well as
many stories of close encounters. 

And you are right, the real Marfa lights are
beautiful. 

M. Adams


--- sandygaither <sandygaither@...> wrote:
> I just saw the Marfa Mystery Lights on June 25th &
> 26th. They are 
> located in the mountainous desert of far west Texas.
> No one can 
> explain them. Not long ago, a team of Japanese
> scientists came to 
> study them & could not find a scientific
> explanation. These lights 
> are random in all ways & times. The shapes, hues,
> intensity,location, 
> & movement of the lights all change at no set
> intervals. I talked to 
> 2 local residents who said that the lights had come
> up close to them. 
> I observed the lights with the naked eye, through
> binoculars, & 
> through a telescope. To me they appear to be pure
> light, but they 
> also appear to have height, width, & depth. The
> lights are very 
> beautiful. They have a round shape, though they are
> not circular; 
> more like 'ovals', both standing up & lying on their
> side. The lights 
> pulsate, fade away, then come back more brilliant.
> They sometimes 
> move in pairs ( I saw 4 at one time). I observed one
> particular 
> yellow light spinning slowly. There were also green
> lights & red 
> lights....My husband just inherited some land that
> is due south & 
> directly behind the old army base where the Marfa
> Mystery Lights are 
> located. If anyone has any information on these
> lights, I would be 
> very interested to know it....Thanks,
> sandygaither@...
> 
> 


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