Marfa Lights Explained

billsoxs writes "The Marfa lights are ghostly lights that have been observed for years around Marfa TX (near Big Bend). They have been the subject of curiosity , a source of tourism and scientifically studied a number of times. Now a group of physics students from the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) have use small lasers and traffic sensors to show that these lights are most likely headlights from cars on a distant highway. The publication is in the Society of Physics Students website. The PDF of the article is here. (Unfortunately the related video is no longer available on the web but more stuff is here.)"

BREAKING NEWS!

[Ruff_ilb]

Lights in distance probably headlights from far off cars! Populace of Marfa stunned! Physicists skeptical! Sensastionalists de-sensastionalized!

I've never heard of these "Marfa Lights," but I can't help making fun of them out of context...

Video Link

[Anonymous Coward]

Marfa Video [utdallas.edu]

Is it just me?

[Anonymous Coward]

...or am I the only one who originally misread it as "Mafia lights"?

Sure...

[Anonymous Coward]

These lights are most likely headlights from cars on a distant highway

Thats what they want you to think

Re:Video Link

[flood6]

Moderated "interesting"... Every time a moderator mods a post before clicking a link, the Flying Spaghetti Monster kills a kitten...

Re:Interesting, but ruining a source of revenue...

[minus_273]

but but, it is a superstition. A dangerous cult. We live in the age of science. We must only believe in science and logic.

I just think it's funny...

[emptycorp]

"and scientifically studied a number of times. Now a group of physics students from the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) have use small lasers and traffic sensors to show that these lights are most likely headlights from cars on a distant highway."

When leading scientists can't figure it out, leave it up to students.

Re:Do you really need lasers?

[TubeSteak]

why haven't somebody just walked/drove in the direction of the lights?!

They did....
And were never heard from again.

Re:Weird...

[Anonymous Coward]

The headlights are obviously a DeLorean's.

Re:This has been an urban legend here in Texas...

[R-2-RO]

Suckers! Blue Light Cemetery was K-Mart's failed attempt at selling cheap headstones. :)

Re:Weird...

[Pollardito]

so now we've gone full circle from UFOs to Time Travel, rather than freeing us from our tin-foil hats we'll need to double their thickness

Re:Interesting, but ruining a source of revenue...

[gijoel]

So, it's like an episode of Scooby-Doo basically, everyone knows the lights are cars but the local area has used it as sort of fun way of attracting tourists and they even have a festival around the event.

"And we would have gotten away with it, if it weren't for those pesky kids!!!" says Mayor of Marfa.

Re:Weird...

[Spock the Baptist]

I'm almost certain that there was an explanation by a/an astronomy prof/s at UT Austin about how Marfa sat in the bottom of a basin, which set up some sort of thermal inversion which caused air of greater density to set on top of air of a lower density which in turn acted as acted as a lens to refract the light from bright stars, and or planets near the horizon into the basin giving rise to the Marfa lights.

Simple

[Anonymous Coward]

Teens are using their cell phones as flashlights...

Mystery solved. Move along...

Re:This has been an urban legend here in Texas...

[sillyman71]

I'm betting this strange luminecent phenomenon is more likely due to "blue smoke".