Summary
For generations, unusual lights have been reported over Mitchell Flat near Marfa, Texas. They are described as distant luminous objects that may brighten, fade, move, change color, or occasionally appear to separate and merge. Scientific investigations have shown that many modern sightings are caused by distant vehicle headlights and other conventional light sources. However, a smaller group of unusual observations and instrumentally recorded events has not been conclusively explained, leaving the origin of the rare “genuine” Marfa Lights unresolved.
Additional Notes
The tradition of the Marfa Lights is commonly traced to 1883, when cowboy Robert Reed Ellison reportedly noticed a distant flickering light while driving cattle through the area. According to later accounts, he initially suspected a campfire, but no campsite was found when the location was investigated. Other residents subsequently reported similar lights. The 1883 story, however, survives through later historical accounts rather than a contemporary report and should therefore be treated cautiously. Modern investigations have demonstrated that many apparent Marfa Lights have conventional origins. In 2004, physics students from the University of Texas at Dallas compared lights visible from the observation area with traffic on U.S. Highway 67. The positions and movements of the lights correlated with vehicles, and controlled tests showed that automobile headlights could closely reproduce the phenomenon seen from the viewing area. A more extensive investigation published in the American Journal of Physics in 2009 used a telescope and CCD spectrometer during twenty nights of observations. Lights observed during that study that might otherwise have been considered mysterious were identified as vehicle headlights or small fires. However, the researchers distinguished these from rarer reports of what they termed “genuine Marfa lights.” Long-term automated camera monitoring between 2000 and 2008 recorded a number of events meeting criteria intended to exclude ordinary automobile lights, including unusual changes in brightness, irregular appearances and disappearances, eccentric movement, and apparent splitting or merging. Their precise nature was not established. Atmospheric refraction and mirage effects have been proposed as explanations for the unusual appearance of distant vehicle lights, particularly under the strong temperature gradients of the West Texas desert. Other hypotheses have included geological or atmospheric luminous phenomena. However, these mechanisms have not been demonstrated as the cause of every unusual event associated with the Marfa Lights. The phenomenon has also accumulated a rich body of ghost stories and UFO interpretations, although no evidence has established a paranormal origin. Modern research therefore leaves a distinction between the many observations that can be explained conventionally and a smaller number of unusual recorded events whose precise origin remains unresolved.
The Location Today
The Marfa Mystery Lights are associated with the desert landscape east of Marfa, Texas. Visitors can use the designated Marfa Lights Viewing Area beside U.S. Highway 90, about nine miles east of town; sightings are not guaranteed.
- Environment
- Desert, Village / Rural Area
- Time of Day
- Night
- Evidence Level
- Investigated Case
- Visiting the Location
- Free Access
- Ownership of the Location
- Public