Naked Eye Accounts

1....They appear at irregular intervals over the top of Brown Mountain - a long, low mountain in the foothills of the Blue Ridge. They move erratically up and down, visible at a distance, but vanishing as one climbs the mountain. From the Wiseman's View on Linville Mountain the lights can be seen well. They at first appear to be about twice the size of a star as they come over Brown Mountain. Sometimes they have a reddish or blue cast. On dark nights they pop up so thick and fast it's impossible to count them.... The lights can be seen from as far away as Blowing Rock or the old Yonahlosse Trail over Grandfather Mountain some fifteen miles from Brown Mountain. At some points closer to Brown Mountain the lights seem large, resembling balls of fire from a Roman candle. Sometimes they may rise to various heights and fade slowly. Others expand as they rise, then burst high in the air like an explosion without sound. (http://www.ibiblio.org/ghosts/bmtn.html)

2....Eyewitnesses who have claim to have seen the lights at close range reported seeing "fifteen inch balls of yellow or blue-white fire that emitted sizzling noises." Brown Mountain is also located near the Grandfather Mountain fault (which is reportedly inactive, but it is still interesting that it is nearby). The true Brown Mountain Lights appear very rarely, but on occasion do put on an exceptional show. One such show was witnessed by Mike Frizzell in 1974. He had driven out to the Route 181 overlook in hope of seeing the lights. After dark, the lights gave him a spectacular show. For ninety minutes he was able to view them weaving their way along the faces of Brown and Chestnut Mountains. At times there would be as many as four or five lights in view at once. Frizzell has made numerous trips back to Brown Mountain since then, but has yet to see the lights as active as they were during that first experience. (http://www.busprod.com/michael/spooklight/BrnMtn.htm)

3....They appear along the ridges of this mountain on a regular basis and are faithful enough that in clear weather, you can see them just about any night that you care to. By looking to the southeast, the watchers will suddenly see a light appear that is about the size of a basketball, or so it appears. The light will be reddish in color and it will hover in the air for a moment and then disappear. In a few minutes, it will appear again, but in another location and then all through the night, the lights will come and go, appearing and vanishing against the night sky. As is normal with this kind of thing, almost every person sees the lights in a different way... some see them as white and bobbing; others as pale and stationary; while others see them coming and going quite rapidly. Regardless, of how they are seen, they remain a mystery. (http://www.prairieghosts.com/brownmt.html)

4....Observer descriptions vary. The lights can appear red, blue, green or white and will disappear if approached. Some have described them as balls of fire. They may rise slowly and fade away, or seem to burst soundlessly in the air. All agree that the phenomenon is worth the drive to see one of America's mysterious places. Written by Janis Fields Title: The mysterious brown mountain lights Description:The Mysterious Brown Mountain Lights have fascinated scientists since 1771, and there is still no accepted theories about them. Copyright 2001 by PageWise, Inc. (http://pa.essortment.com/mysteriouslight_rgks.htm)

5....The lights have been described in many ways from being a glowing ball of fire, to being a bursting skyrocket, or a pale almost white light. The fact that they never seem the same is as fantastic as the lights themselves. At times they seem to drift slowly, fading and brightening and at other times they seem to whirl like pinwheels, then dart rapidly away.... The lights can be seen from as far away as Blowing Rock or the old Yonahlosse Trail over Grandfather Mountain some fifteen miles from Brown Mountain. At some points closer to Brown Mountain the lights seem large, resembling balls of fire from a Roman candle. Sometimes they may rise to various heights and fade slowly. Others expand as they rise, then burst high in the air like an explosion without sound... The Brown Mountain Lights are a somewhat rare occurrence, and are not always visible. To see the lights you need good visibility between your viewpoint and Brown Mountain. Clear weather conditions with little or no moonlight are the most favorable for viewing the lights, but the lights have been seen during hazy conditions and light rain. The lights have been reported to be seen at all hours of the night between sundown and sunrise, but the best noted times are at 10:00 PM and 2:00 AM. The locals also say they are much more prominent in the months of September and October. One thing is certain, the lights do exist. They have been seen from earliest times. They appear at irregular intervals over the top of Brown Mountain. They move erratically up and down, are visible at a distance, but vanish as one climbs the mountain. From the Wiseman's View on Linville Mountain the lights can be seen well. They at first appear to be about twice the size of a star as they come over Brown Mountain. Sometimes they have a reddish or blue cast. On dark nights they pop up so thick and fast it's impossible to count them. Who knows what causes the Brown Mountain Lights, but if you view them, as I have, you can say you have viewed a natural phenomenon that scientists have yet to explain. (http://www.westernncattractions.com/BMLights.htm)

6....Various people report the lights in various ways; some people describe them as whitish, and some say the lights move either quickly or slowly. But the vast majority of observors say the lights are the size of basketballs, reddish in color, and hover for an instant, disappear, and then reappear a few moments later in another location along the ridge. And none of the explanations offered for the lights ever seem to pan out- no cars, towns, swamps, or planes are able to reproduce the phenomenon Write to: tarheel@unforgettable.com (http://members.nbci.com/ncghosts/lights.htm)

7....Final conclusion; the majority of the so-called Brown Mountain lights, particularly those seen above the crest, are refractions of artificial lights. The real Brown Mountain lights, the mysterious ones, are those that flit through the trees well below the crest.These lights are extremely rare. Various observers descriptions are that they commence as a brilliant blue-white or yellow light, which tapers off to a dull red before disappearing, all in 2 to 10 seconds. Horizontal motion is often only a degree or so, although some older reports have the lights wandering greater distances at speeds faster than a human could manage in the difficult terrain. (http://www.ufomind.com/ufo/updates/1998/sep/m10-014.shtml)

8....The real Brown Mountain lights, the mysterious ones, are those that flit through the trees well below the crest. These lights are extremely rare. Typically, they commence as a brilliant blue-white or yellow light, which tapers off to dull red before disappearing, all in 2-10 seconds. Horizontal motion is often only a degree or so, although some older reports have the lights wandering greater distances at speeds faster than a human could manage in the difficult terrain. (http://www.science-frontiers.com/sf033/sf033p17.htm)

9....The lights are described as red, blue, green, or white balls which disappear when approached. (http://www.ghosts.org/ghostlights/brownmtn.html)

10....They appear at irregular intervals over the top of Brown Mountain - a long, low mountain in the foothills of the Blue Ridge. They move erratically up and down, visible at a distance, but vanishing as one climbs the mountain. From the Wiseman's View on Linville Mountain the lights can be seen well. They at first appear to be about twice the size of a star as they come over Brown Mountain. Sometimes they have a reddish or blue cast. On dark nights they pop up so thick and fast it's impossible to count them. (http://members.tripod.com/jayboy74/story12.html)

11....The following is an excerpt from a Pamphlet published by McDowell County Tourism: Brown Mountain Lights - The region's most popular mystery! On certain clear evenings, small but brilliant spherical lights or orbs can be seen bobbing up and down, disappearing and then reappearing. This mystery has attracted thousands of curiosity seekers over the centuries. Extensive scientific research has failed to explain the phenomenon..." - "Mountain Treasures" (Tourism Brochure) . (http://trailrunners.bizland.com/reviewpage.htm)

12....Although they are famous, they do not appear all that regularly, but when they do, they are often spectacular. They are often seen as yellow, red, blue-white, or green balls of light, about one and a half feet wide (18cm), which makes them classic earth lights. Importantly, they have also been heard to make 'sizzling' noises, which may indicate that they are fairly hot. . This does not account for some of the more 'formal' sightings, the usual outline of which follows:- The lights appear rarely on some nights in the gorge, with no set appearance pattern. Usually they start out as blue/white or yellow lights, decaying to a dull red before disappearing. They weave and flit in and out of the trees (well below the crest) until they reach the edge of the river, then they disappear, sometimes reappearing in another spot. When they are seen, they are usually only visible for 2-10 seconds. For more info about these lights click on one of these links:- http://www.ghosts.org/ghostlights/brownmtn.html. Brown Mountain Lights. The well known ghost lights of Brown Mountain, North Carolina. http://metalab.unc.edu/ghosts/bmtn.html. The Brown Mountain Lights. An interesting article at U.N.C. (http://www.mysterylights.com/cases/#brown)

13....The mysterious lights can be seen from several spots in and around Blowing Rock, looking back toward Lenoir and Morganton, at what is known as"Brown Mountain" The lights have been described as flashing from one side of the mountain to the other, and in some cases lave been seen in colors, such as red and blue. (http://www.watauganet.com/anniversaries/brownmtn.html)

14....In History: September 13th, 1913 marks the first known printed reference to the mysterious Brown Mountain Lights. The nature of the lights which appear near Brown Mountain North Carolina have baffled people for many years. The newspaper reported that "the mysterious light is seen just above the horizon almost every night." Some researchers contend that the lights can be explained by such common things as cars and trains. Others think that lights are "spooklights" or "earthlights" that are somehow generated by seismic activity. (http://www.unmuseum.org/soearch/over0900.htm)

15....Brown Mountain Lights The region's most popular mystery! On certain clear evenings, small but brilliant spherical lights or orbs can be seen bobbing up and down, disappearing, and reappearing. This mystery has attracted thousands of curiosity seekers over the centuries. Extensive scientific research has failed to explain the phenomenon. There are several vantage points along NC 181, north of Morganton, and from Wiseman's View on the Kistler Memorial Highway (SR 1238), near Linville Falls. 828-652-1103 (http://www.mcdowellnc.org/heritage2.htm)

16....In our area there are the Brown Mountain Lights mysterious luminaries seen from several vantage points around the Linville Gorge. A year ago I began an investigation of this phenomenon, allotting a small amount of time to the project. On the trips so far I've only seen one Light that was unexplainable a soft, bluish horizontal beam clearly under the tree canopy in an area devoid of roads. My second Encounter.. What are these lights? Swamp gas at 3,000 feet? Probably not. Perhaps some kind of geological 'Certs Effect' of stressed rocks (chew some of those wintergreen breath mints in front of a mirror tonight for a glimpse of some physics only recently explored!) Or, some kind of electrostatic discharge, a bigger version of the flash seen when pulling your socks off in the dark on a dry winter night. Further study may tell, but again, I don't think the Lights are likely to be ET taking a Parkway cruise. The trouble with this kind of work is that it is difficult to do and brings few rewards. I would not bet tenure or promotions on such speculative research. catondb@appstate.edu (http://www.acs.appstate.edu/dept/physics/Encounters.htm)

Copyright (C) 2001 Dr. Sten Odenwald