Comparing Naked Eye Accounts with Visual Acuity Problems Under Low Light Levels.

 The naked eye account file gives quoted anecdotes from people who have seen them. The Visual Acuity file describes the legal issues associated with eyewitness testimony, and the many different aberrations that go along with human perception under low light level conditions. Below I classify the accounts into groups that seem to meet the various perceptual problems:

There are some features that seem to be in common in each category, but the wild card is in the last category 'Variable Perceptions'. Evidently, if you can believe the accounts, two people may have different experiences when observing what they call the marfa lights even when standing next to each other. The biggest problem, however, is that the term 'Marfa Lights' seems to be so general that, depending on the sophistication of the observer, they can be either the distant head lights of cars, or only a specific subset of the lights that are being observed. The same name is used to describe the whole collection. Even two people observing at the same time may be focusing on different 'lights' at a given moment. The terminology is so sloppy and unchallenged, and the descriptions are so superficial, that it is nearly impossible to compare one report with another and be certain that the witnesses are describing, or even seeing, the same subset of lights. This works in favor of continuing the 'myth of mystery' and how no one can ever understand what they are. This also keeps people flocking to this site to see them and become part of the experience of mystery; a powerful emotional draw that the Marfa Tourist Industry relies upon and fosters.

A....When: There is near unanimity that they can be viewed minutes after sunset during astronomical twilight conditions. Some viewers also note that the pace of appearance of the lights decreases significantly towards midnight. No one has done a frequency vs time study to really address this issue. People probably hang around for an hour or so after sunset. Most of this time under astronomical twilight. There is no information on just how dark the landscape is. If it is a typical rural situation with no moon light, Viewers are probably looking at a scene in which the horizon is not outlined at all and vanishes into the dark night sky. There would be no lighting of the foreground landscape, so the Viewers may be looking into a nearly pitch-black 'scene' and trying to make sense of faint lights without the benefit of any landmarks. This could lead to lots of confusion about the exact directions to the lights and where they are located in space. Apparently, they are seen at least in the spring, summer and fall. I have not run across any reports made during the winter. This isn't to say that there aren't any, only that I haven't encountered any reports where the witness states the date as during the winter.

B....Movement: There are lots of accounts of how they move. None of them say just how dark the view was, or whether there was still twilight illumination of the landscape to still provide visual clues. I have grouped the descriptions into subgroups of like characteristics, and the categories span the entire spectrum. Some lights are stationary, at least for a time. Others move jerkily or erratically, and are usually the ones that are identified as the true lights by the old timers. Still other lights move rather smoothly, though they may suddenly dissappear, and then reappear further on to the west, ostensibly cars following Highway 67 and being temporarily blocked by obstructions. These lights are often repetitive in the sense that others of their kind repeat the motions and dissapearances as did those that came later. It would be interesting to map where along Highway 67 from the Viewing Area, there will be obstructions for car lights by foreground hillocks etc. Binocular studies show lights that come on and go out at random intervals. Some can temporarily flash as bright as "evening stars." There is generally no attempt made to quantitatively estimate their brightness compared to stars etc, so there is no way to tag the many descriptions of these lights by their brightness class in the collected anecdotes.

C...Brightness and Shape Changes: This is the most varied quality of the lights, and taken as a whole, it is hard to imagine from the reports that we are looking at a single phenomenon, or that observer error under low light conditions is not a major factor. It is physically impossible for the eye to resolve a distant light source if it is less than 15 feet across at 10 miles. This assumes daytime 20/20 vision acuity of 1 arcminute. In fact, at night your acuity is much worse than this... Reports that they seemed basketball sized, or globe-like are statements about the human visual system and its distortions. Looking at headlights at night, they look like snowballs because the iris is fully opened under dark conditions...The most common report is the sudden splitting of the light into components, often twinning into two lights. They are also variable in brightness and can flicker or pulsate. Again, they manifest just about every imaginable condition of an illuminated object. They seem resolved, but are point-like, they are constant but also flicker or pulsate. They remain single, but also split into multiple parts.

D...Color: This quality is also highly variable. The lights seem to display every color of the rainbow. The color seems to be viewer dependent, even when the viewers are standing next to each other. The most common color is white. Next we hear about green or greenish, or yellow-green. Witnesses sometimes see red, but others claim that the color is very different from headlights or radio tower beacons.

E...Location. There is general consistency here, perhaps because the Viewing Area is situated where it is and the perspective effect projects the movement into a fixed quadrant of the horizon. They occur near 'Twin Peaks' but I dont know what these are, though Chinati Mountain is apparently one of them. They are SW of Chinati Mountain, on Mitchell Flat near Twin Peaks, and over the flat prairie north of Cuesto Del Burro Mountains. They are on the west side of Goat Mountain on the Mitchell Flats..

F. Car Lights. Some viewers have compared them to car lights, and through telescopes this association is firm for at least some sub-set of the reports, though it is hard to confirm all of them this way because telescopic observations are not routinely available every time a report is noted. The main problem is that there are accounts of these lights going back to the 1880's when cars did not travel these roads. At that time, they were mistaken for indian campfires. The origin of these reports has been called into question by a number of skeptics because there are no apparent written traces of these tales that predate the 1900's. They all seem to be 'word of mouth' legends that are hard to evaluate or substantiate. If these lights were so spectacular, they should have made it into the literature of the 19th century in some way. One thing that puzzles me is whether you can in fact see car lights 10 miles or 40 miles away under any reasonable physical situation. This should be an easy thing to investigate and calculate.

G...Variable Perceptions. There are several accounts of people standing next to each other and disagreeing about the number, and color of the lights they saw. The reports, taken as a whole, also confirm frequent synopsis of the lights as both constant and variable in their motion or brightness. Usually these comments leave you with a sense of heightened mystery and that is probably why these stories are framed the way they are to confuse the definition of the lights by integrating the properties over the many subclasses of 'lights' in the area that include misidentifications.

1...they bounce around, vanish and reappear elsewhere.
2...They dance around, and split into separate parts.
10... They appear and disappear, veering and cavorting suddenly in odd directions.
13...They might shoot straight up into the sky,
14... they race madly to the left and right.
15... the lights ... are characterized by rapid and erratic movements....
18... Sometimes the lights dance erratically, while other times they remain motionless, slowly brightening with intensity

4...Appears near the tower and moves clockwise along the mountains. After 10 seconds it dissappears about 1/3 of the way along the mountains
7...from twilight to midnight, a constant stream of lights.
19... brighter as it starts a slow glide toward a pale green light who knows how many miles to the west. The lights meet, like oncoming headlamps, flash as bright as evening stars and disappear. They travel. They stay still.
21... describe several lights that shot down the side of the Chinati mountain (to her right), directly toward them....when there were no roads there long ago.

3...They're small lights that float,
12...They hover in mid-air and sometimes flicker like balls of fire.

6...In less than a minute, a second light repeats the motions of the first.
7...from twilight to midnight, a constant stream of lights.

3...They seem like they are sentient, anticipating the viewers moves, or responding to cues. They're small lights that float, that move, that seem to have a life of their own.

5...After 10 seconds it dissappears about 1/3 of the way along the mountains
8...They vanish when someone tries to approach them.
9...They have been followed for 35 miles, but after abandoning the search, they reappear miles away.
10... They appear and disappear, veering and cavorting suddenly in odd directions.
16... They move about, split apart, melt together, disappear, and reappear.
17... through the binoculars I could see it was actually two or three lights. They seemed to come on and go out at random intervals at various places across the skyline
19... brighter as it starts a slow glide toward a pale green light who knows how many miles to the west. The lights meet, like oncoming headlamps, flash as bright as evening stars and disappear. They travel. They stay still.

1...One moment there might be one, and just as suddenly, it might split into two or three or more, dividing and merging at whim.
2.. They move about, split apart, melt together,
3... and at times split into two separate entities
4... One minute they will be bright, then fade and disappear.
5... which climb in the sky, then merge, split, or float back down
6... The light is constant, rather than pulsating.
7... sometimes split into two or more separate lights
8... They move about, split apart, melt together, disappear, and reappear.
9... lights may appear as one sphere that divides into several balls of many colors
10... sometimes they become elongated, then snap back to their original shape
11... Then it suddenly rose vertically 200 feet, and split off into two, three, four lights...hovered in formation, then shot off from hell to breakfast in different directions, at different speeds, and in different colors
12... They morphed before our eyes...starting out, the size of a tiny star. After a few acrobatics, the star grew to the size of a headlight
13... There was one in the middle that seemed particularly bright, and as I looked at it through the binoculars I could see it was actually two or three lights
14... and sometimes divide in two and then go back to a single light
15... First one light, then another. Then four or five at a time, pulsing and glowing just below the mountaintops

1...Spiraling, basketball-sized neon globes
2... which most people describe as spherical
3... To some the Lights are well-defined glowing orbs

1... about the size of basketballs, or one colored basketball-sized light
2... are spherical, ...and range from the size of a baseball to a basketball. "

3... Floating fireballs.

1...Faint flickers of light.
2... as they twinkle in the distance
3... They seemed to come on and go out at random intervals at various places across the skyline.
4... others as pulsating white lights.
5... Some times they get brighter or then they get dimmer
6... It's a tiny round twinkle in the distance
7... The lights meet, like oncoming headlamps, flash as bright as evening stars and disappear.
8... Some say the lights are pure white and constant

1...or as a single, startlingly bright light

1...looked like a single headlight moving against the dark silhouette of the distant mountains

1... Colors, meanwhile, range from red to yellow to, most commonly, green or white.
2... The red, blue or green lights
3..."... a bright white (not red like the tower) point of light appeared at the base of the mountains These white lights appear to repeat their motions because there are numerous cars driving in the same direction
4... They change color, appearing green, yellow, blue, and sometimes orange.
5..." The color is predominately greenish-yellow, but they also are white and shades of pastel. "I do not know how anyone could mistake them for car lights
6... "... the lights vary in color..."
7... They are yellowish-green and appear above the horizon at dusk
8... At times they appear colored as they twinkle in the distance.
9... Some people have described them as colorful, others as pulsating white lights.
10... The lights change color and sometimes divide in two and then go back to a single light.
11... many of them claim to see different colors of lights while they watch the display, while other people standing right next to them report seeing only white lights.
12... ...which have appeared in white, pink, yellow, green, and blue hues to the east of the Chinati Mountains.
13... Some of the lights shine like crystals. Some look green or red or pale gold. 

1..."I've been there. You can see the interstate from the "watch-zone" and you can see the tailights on same said interstate but the "marfa" lights appear above a field no where near the interstate and it's moving headlamps/tailights. I did trespass into this field and walked for at least a mile but the lights did not appear to get any closer or clearer.

2... Look south. Some people have seen them north of the highway, but mostly they appear near a mountain called 'Twin Peaks.' 

3... above the horizon at dusk The lights appear in an area SW of Chinati Mountain, on Mitchell Flat, near Twin Peaks, and over the flat prairie north of Cuesto Del Burro Mountains..

4..."... a bright white (not red like the tower) point of light appeared at the base of the mountains near the tower, and could obviously be seen to move clockwise along the mountains. After about 10 seconds, (and already about one third of the way along the mountains) the light disappeared. Of course the lights trickle down after Midnight - traffic on the road between Presidio and Marfa is almost nil during those hours. These white lights appear to repeat their motions because there are numerous cars driving in the same direction, and the lights disappear when the car crests the mountain or the road dips into a gully

5... " They have even been reported between Paso Lajitas and San Carlos, Mexico, and the Federales, who patrol the road for smugglers, have been fooled into spotting what they thought were approaching headlights, only to have no vehicle ever appear."

6..." They appear as distant bright lights on the Mitchell Flats and are distinguishable from ranch lights and automobile headlights on nearby Highway 67, between Marfa and Presidio, by their aberrant movements and behavior.

7..." Robert Black, a graduate student in geology at Sul Ross University, decided to climb Goat Mountain south of Alpine for rock samples "This is going to be a beautiful sunset, isn't it. Look, the sun's going down." Breaking into a run, they spied the truck way off on the Flats, but distances are deceiving in the desert, and before they could reach the truck, the sun was down. They were on the west side of Goat Mountain, in the middle of the Mitchell Flats. as they huddled around the fires looking toward the north and northwest in the direction of Highway 90, their talk turned to the Marfa Lights. Shortly after midnight, they saw a "horizontal length of light that had a sort of dancing vibration movement." As the men watched in fascination, the "little beams of light danced up and down in a kind of wave formation, moved across, jumped straight up vertically, came back down, danced horizontally, then disappeared." Black's account was unusual because it was the first reported sighting of the lights from a location several miles south of Highway 90 and looking north toward Highway 90. The Chinati Mountains were to their backs.

8..." Since the lights are most frequently seen near the Chinati Mountains from Highway 90, which runs east and west between Marfa and Alpine, the scientists decided they had best rule out any misidentification of headlights on Highway 67, which winds through the Chinati Mountains north and south between Marfa and Presidio. A radio beacon resembling a red spotlight, visible in front of the peaks, was used as a guide. In order to prevent the misidentification of headlights, two marker lights were placed at the borders of Highway 67, where it enters and leaves the mountain range. Any lights spotted outside the markers, which the scientists could not explain, would be identified as the ghostly phenomena. At midnight, an unknown light appeared past the right marker light in the middle of the empty Mitchell Flats. Contacting the technician at the marker by radio indicated there was no traffic on Highway 67. Observers were certain the light did not come from a man-made source. It disappeared and came back and faded again.

9.. "However, within just a few minutes (ten at the most), a bright white (not red like the tower) point of light appeared at the base of the mountains near the tower, and could obviously be seen to move clockwise along the mountains. After about ten seconds, (and already about one third of the way along the mountains) the light disappeared. There were two major patterns visible to the eye. The first pattern was to appear near the southern edge of the mountains (near the tower), and move about halfway to the road and vanish. The second pattern was to appear about two/thirds of the way to the road (or closer), and to stay motionless. With both patterns, however, there was still a wide range of variation. The moving Lights traveled at different speeds (although movement was always easily visible to the eye), whereas the stationary Lights tended to blink on and off at regular intervals, before disappearing. The Lights themselves appeared about equal in brightness to the tower light (or perhaps somewhat brighter). They never appeared to be anything other than mere points of light. They appeared quite similar to distant car headlights, but were always single to the naked eye. Car headlights eventually were ruled out as a cause, since reports have occured for over a century. In addition, the map provided to us showed no indication of a road on the near side of the mountain

11...The mysterious lights have been seen flitting about the mountains east of Marfa, or cruising the flats below.

12... When you pull off the highway, park with your headlights toward the barbed wire and the vast flats, beyond. The observation point is really nothing more than a wide spot in the road between Alpine and Marfa...so kick back, pop a top, play some tunes, and wait for dark. Try to get there at dusk so you can see that there are no roads, no houses, no cars, no railroad tracks; nothing but empty land and the mountains beyond.

 13... As it got darker, more and more lights began to appear over the desert. They weren't high in the sky: They were all below the top of the mountains.

14... The Marfa Lights are not of high altitude, but are in some low mountains and appear to be only a few feet to a few hundred feet off the ground

15... Way out there in the Chisos. Out where there are no roads or buildings or airports or towns or houses or even campfires. Where there is no source for the lights. No source anyone can explain, anyway. 

1... "I think it is quite obvious the lights in these photos come from highway traffic between Marfa and Presidio. Still this does not explain reports of lights traveling beside vehicles at highway speeds and several tens of feet away from the roadway. And it does not explain sightings that occurred as far back as the mid 1800s before automobiles came along." (http://homes.sulross.edu/~bbaker/alpine/marfa_lights.html Bill Baker marfa_lights2.html)

12..." Soon after dusk, the lights will appear, just to the right (west) of a radio tower. If you go, you'll easily see them if the weather is fairly clear. The Lights will indeed appear to move around, disappear, then suddenly reappear. If you wish to believe the "Mystery" Lights are mysterious, don't go with a pair of high-powered binoculars. Because if you do, you'll soon realize that the Lights are nothing more than the headlights and taillights of cars driving U.S. 67 between Marfa and Presidio, on the crest of the Chinati Mountains. " (slaroche@concentric.net http://www.watchingyou.com/marfa.html marfaL7.htm )

3..."I grew up in far West Texas and observed the "Marfa lights" on many occasions. I never saw anything that didn't appear to be consistent with car lights on the Presidio to Marfa highway. They appear to be above ground level because the far side of the enormous valley swells up toward Chinati peak. They either stand still or move left to right consistent with stretches where cars come straight toward you or turn a little northward to Marfa. They disappear in a manner consistent with obstructions and turns of the road." (http://www.big.bend.national-park.com/wwwboard/messages/395.html Posted by Paul K, October 3, 2000 'Response from a Skeptic' 395.htm )

9..." From the viewing area looking across toward the Chinati Mountains there is a red beacon light and beyond that a stretch of highway running from Presidio. Some of what people see in that portion of the horizon could be car lights. But again the carlight theory runs into problems because the highway is over 40 miles away and the mystery lights were reported here long before cars existed." (marfaL4.html)

13..."... a bright white (not red like the tower) point of light appeared at the base of the mountains near the tower, and could obviously be seen to move clockwise along the mountains. After about 10 seconds, (and already about one third of the way along the mountains) the light disappeared. In less than a minute, another light appeared and repeated the motions of the first...This turned out to be just the beginning. From then until midnight there was a nearly constant stream of Lights." Of course the lights trickle down after Midnight - traffic on the road between Presidio and Marfa is almost nil during those hours. These white lights appear to repeat their motions because there are numerous cars driving in the same direction, and the lights disappear when the car crests the mountain or the road dips into a gully. (slaroche@concentric.net http://www.watchingyou.com/marfa.html ...marfaL7.html)

15... "I do not know how anyone could mistake them for car lights," reported one eyewitness in 1984." (http://www.theoutlaws.com/marfa.htm marfaL8.htm)

17..."The eyewitnesses also ruled out the scientists' artificial "ranch lights" theory. With only one ranch in the area with only one spotlight---a spotlight easily recognizable to the naked eye and, therefore, discounted as a legitimate sighting---there was no way ranches played any role in the matter.( http://www.theoutlaws.com/marfa.htm marfaL8.html)

18..."Then, a sighting occurred in 1985 which appeared to succeed in wiping out the car headlight theory...at least, that's the claim. Robert Black, a graduate student in geology at Sul Ross University, decided to climb Goat Mountain south of Alpine for rock samples "This is going to be a beautiful sunset, isn't it. Look, the sun's going down." Breaking into a run, they spied the truck way off on the Flats, but distances are deceiving in the desert, and before they could reach the truck, the sun was down. They were on the west side of Goat Mountain, in the middle of the Mitchell Flats. Black says it best, "Anyone who knows the Marfa flats, knows that it is flat, featureless, and boring---no geological marker out in the sea of desert and really no way to find your way around, especially in the dark." The men wisely decided to spend the night where they were. A little before midnight, as they huddled around the fires looking toward the north and northwest in the direction of Highway 90, their talk turned to the Marfa Lights. The men were right in the Flats, where the lights were normally seen, and they began to hope the lights would make an appearance. They didn't have long to wait. Shortly after midnight, they saw a "horizontal length of light that had a sort of dancing vibration movement." As the men watched in fascination, the "little beams of light danced up and down in a kind of wave formation, moved across, jumped straight up vertically, came back down, danced horizontally, then disappeared." Black's account was unusual because it was the first reported sighting of the lights from a location several miles south of Highway 90 and looking north toward Highway 90. The Chinati Mountains were to their backs. It ruled out any supposition of car headlights in the mountains as being the cause of the mystery lights. Since Black and his companion were between the Chinati Mountains and Highway 90, and the lights appeared between the men and the highway, skeptics were forced to rethink their previous positions. (http://www.theoutlaws.com/marfa.htm marfaL8.html)

22..." I can certainly say that many people who think they have seen the Marfa lights, simply saw the lights of distant cars, but I can't say there isn't something else going on here. (http://gigaday.com/ayear/C14.html .... http://www.rensselaer.edu/~sofkam/isuny/Journal/vol1_1.html ...skeptics3.htm ca 1987 Alan French. Also, C14.htm Chapter 14:)

25... They appeared quite similar to distant car headlights, but were always single to the naked eye. Car headlights eventually were ruled out as a cause, since reports have occured for over a century. In addition, the map provided to us showed no indication of a road on the near side of the mountain.( http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/HomePage/Staff/Brooks/marfa.htm James Long. Georgia Skeptics.)

36... Skeptics believe that the lights are simply car headlights skimming across the mountains, but that would not explain sightings in the last century, or the fact that the lights often move in circles or zig zag formations. (Texas Monthly... http://www.texasmonthly.com/ranch/ufo/marfa.html)

 Variable Perceptions:

41... And few have the same story. Some say the lights are pure white and constant. Others say they are colorful and mobile. (http://www.tje.net/para/wots/9903/99_03_15_01.htm omarm@onramp.net. from www.marfalights.com)

42...Someone may see them once and then never see them again. In fact, several people can be watching the same spot and not everyone will see the same thing. It's part of their mystery, their charm. They defy explanation. And they're really not flashy or flamboyant. Think of a glowing cotton ball floating in the distance. That's pretty much what they look like. At least . . . that's how they look to me. Some people see colors and flashes. (http://www.tje.net/para/wots/9903/99_03_15_01.htm omarm@onramp.net. from www.marfalights.com)

35... Not only are these lights mysterious, but they are also downright unconventional, possessing the ability to imprint themselves on a person's visual senses one moment -- seemingly from out of nowhere -- and be gone just as quickly the next. ...the fact that people in the same group who witness the light display at the same moment report seeing different things. One group of witnesses to the phenomenon, two of them longtime Marfa residents who on this particular autumn evening were seeing the display for the umpteenth time, had an interesting experience to relate. When dusk had settled to darkness and the lights appeared, two members of the group became excited and started to verbalize what they were experiencing: "There they are! Five of them, no three, no six. Look!" But the other two members of their group saw nothing at all. And apparently this is very common. (http://www.theghosthunters.net/marfa_lights_live_xc.htm The Ghost Hunters Net ...marfaL13.htm)

43...Suddenly, Lois and my husband cried out, "There they are. Five of them, no three, no six, look!" They went on about how the lights were bobbing and weaving and fading in and out. Now, it's important to note at this point that I have seen the lights many, many times. And each time, I'm charmed by the mystery of it all. So when my husband commented that I didn't seem too excited, I had to tell him, "I don't see them." And I didn't. And neither did Doc. We were standing in the same place, looking at the same spot. My husband saw them. Lois saw them. We stayed for 30 minutes. And I never saw a one. How do you explain that? (http://www.tje.net/para/wots/9903/99_03_15_01.htm omarm@onramp.net. from www.marfalights.com)

 When to see them:

1... "The Lights...appear south of Marfa each evening." (slaroche@concentric.net...http://www.watchingyou.com/marfa.html...also at his chat room: 109417.html)

12..." Soon after dusk, the lights will appear, just to the right (west) of a radio tower. If you go, you'll easily see them if the weather is fairly clear(slaroche@concentric.net http://www.watchingyou.com/marfa.html marfaL7.htm )

11... "The orbs appear at dusk on the horizon. (http://www.strangetexas.com/marfa.htm Cary Darling , Strange Texas News, Copyright 2000)

25..."However, within just a few minutes (ten at the most), a bright white (not red like the tower) point of light appeared at the base of the mountains near the tower, and could obviously be seen to move clockwise along the mountains. .( http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/HomePage/Staff/Brooks/marfa.htm James Long. Georgia Skeptics.)

27... They are yellowish-green and appear above the horizon at dusk. The Lights, which most people describe as spherical, appear south of Marfa each evening. (http://www.crystalinks.com/lightballs.html

31... After the sun had dipped below the horizon but before it was completely dark, I saw the first light. (http://home.earthlink.net/~mdlaird/texas2.htm#Buckhorn. May 25, 1998. ..mdlaird@earthlink.net...)

14...As the sun sets, the lights appear, (http://www.theoutlaws.com/marfa.htm marfaL8.html )

30... The first light appeared a few moments after sundown, about a mile away, as near as I could tell.... (http://www.lesion.com/jul99/aa/ ArchAngel slacknicity.htm)

39... The first of the "mystery lights" appears before the sun is all the way gone. . (http://www.caller.com/specials/elaine/story5.html... Copyright 1999 Coller-Times, Elaine Liner)

13...From then until midnight there was a nearly constant stream of Lights." Of course the lights trickle down after Midnight - traffic on the road between Presidio and Marfa is almost nil during those hours. (slaroche@concentric.net http://www.watchingyou.com/marfa.html ...marfaL7.html)

 1... " They appear to bounce around, vanish, then re-appear elsewhere." (slaroche@concentric.net...http://www.watchingyou.com/marfa.html...also at his chat room: 109417.html)

11... "The red, blue or green lights dance around in the night and at times split into two separate entities. Efforts to get near them have failed and left those who have tried feeling as though the orbs were toying with them.." (http://www.strangetexas.com/marfa.htm Cary Darling , Strange Texas News, Copyright 2000)

13..."... a bright white (not red like the tower) point of light appeared at the base of the mountains near the tower, and could obviously be seen to move clockwise along the mountains. After about 10 seconds, (and already about one third of the way along the mountains) the light disappeared. In less than a minute, another light appeared and repeated the motions of the first...This turned out to be just the beginning. From then until midnight there was a nearly constant stream of Lights." Of course the lights trickle down after Midnight - traffic on the road between Presidio and Marfa is almost nil during those hours. These white lights appear to repeat their motions because there are numerous cars driving in the same direction, and the lights disappear when the car crests the mountain or the road dips into a gully. (slaroche@concentric.net http://www.watchingyou.com/marfa.html ...marfaL7.html)

14... " Attempts to locate their source always fail because they usually vanish when anyone tries to approach them. People hike, ride horseback, drive jeeps, and even fly helicopters and airplanes to follow the lights. Some have followed them as far as thirty-five miles. The lights always win. Some people even claim that the lights would reappear, after they had abandoned the search and were miles away looking back over their shoulders. (http://www.theoutlaws.com/marfa.htm marfaL8.html )

15..." They appear as distant bright lights on the Mitchell Flats and are distinguishable from ranch lights and automobile headlights on nearby Highway 67, between Marfa and Presidio, by their aberrant movements and behavior. They appear and disappear, veering and cavorting suddenly in odd directions. One moment there might be one, and just as suddenly, it might split into two or three or more, dividing and merging at whim. They hover in mid-air and sometimes flicker like balls of fire. They might shoot straight up into the sky, or race madly to the left and right. (http://www.theoutlaws.com/marfa.htm marfaL8.htm)

24... " the lights ... are characterized by rapid and erratic movements...." (http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/HomePage/Staff/Brooks/marfa.htm James Long, Georgia Skeptics, 1990)

25.. "However, within just a few minutes (ten at the most), a bright white (not red like the tower) point of light appeared at the base of the mountains near the tower, and could obviously be seen to move clockwise along the mountains. After about ten seconds, (and already about one third of the way along the mountains) the light disappeared. In less than a minute, another light appeared and repeated the motions of the first. This turned out to be just the beginning. From then until midnight there was a nearly constant stream of Lights. There were two major patterns visible to the eye. The first pattern was to appear near the southern edge of the mountains (near the tower), and move about halfway to the road and vanish. The second pattern was to appear about two/thirds of the way to the road (or closer), and to stay motionless. With both patterns, however, there was still a wide range of variation. The moving Lights traveled at different speeds (although movement was always easily visible to the eye), whereas the stationary Lights tended to blink on and off at regular intervals, before disappearing. The Lights themselves appeared about equal in brightness to the tower light (or perhaps somewhat brighter). They never appeared to be anything other than mere points of light. They appeared quite similar to distant car headlights, but were always single to the naked eye.( http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/HomePage/Staff/Brooks/marfa.htm James Long. Georgia Skeptics.)

28... At times they appear colored as they twinkle in the distance. They move about, split apart, melt together, disappear, and reappear. (http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/MM/lxm1.html Handbook of Texas. Julia Cauble Smith.)

31... After the sun had dipped below the horizon but before it was completely dark, I saw the first light. I wasn't sure if this was an actual mystery light, however, never having actually witnessed spook lights of any sort, but I had a feeling it was. Diana wasn't convinced because it just sat there and flickered. But then it went out. Now bear in mind that we're parked on the side of the road looking out over miles of desert toward a distant mountain range, maybe 15 or 20 miles away. There didn't appear to be too much there which could generate light. As it got darker, more and more lights began to appear over the desert. They weren't high in the sky: They were all below the top of the mountains. There was one in the middle that seemed particularly bright, and as I looked at it through the binoculars I could see it was actually two or three lights. They seemed to come on and go out at random intervals at various places across the skyline (http://home.earthlink.net/~mdlaird/texas2.htm#Buckhorn. May 25, 1998. ..mdlaird@earthlink.net...)

32... They're small lights that float, that move, that seem to have a life of their own. Some people have described them as colorful, others as pulsating white lights. To some the Lights are well-defined glowing orbs, while others describe them as more like floating "cotton balls." (http://djkelley.home.mindspring.com/MarfaLights.htm Dave Kelly )

36... Sometimes the lights dance erratically, while other times they remain motionless, slowly brightening with intensity (Texas Monthly... http://www.texasmonthly.com/ranch/ufo/marfa.html)

39... The speck glows brighter as it starts a slow glide toward a pale green light who knows how many miles to the west. The lights meet, like oncoming headlamps, flash as bright as evening stars and disappear. They travel. They stay still. (http://www.caller.com/specials/elaine/story5.html... Copyright 1999 Coller-Times, Elaine Liner)

41... And few have the same story. Some say the lights are pure white and constant. Others say they are colorful and mobile. (http://www.tje.net/para/wots/9903/99_03_15_01.htm omarm@onramp.net. from www.marfalights.com)

44...She was rather new to the area , and when she looked to her right she saw Chianti Mountain. "Isn't that a pretty big mountain?" she asked. Her friend replied that it was one of the highest around. "And there's a road coming down it?" she asked, amazed. Her friend looked at her strangely and answered, "There's no road coming down off Chianti. " "Then why do I see lights coming quickly down that mountain?" The entry went on to describe several lights that shot down the side of the mountain, directly toward them. They danced in the canyon and moved right up to the hood of the car. In her own words she wrote, "I felt so special. We were never afraid. In fact, we had sort of a warm feeling." (http://www.tje.net/para/wots/9903/99_03_15_01.htm omarm@onramp.net. from www.marfalights.com)

46... The lights are easy to describe, they looked like a distant farm house with the yard light on. They appeared brighter than the stars and each light seemed to have its own character. All the lights were white but some turned slightly red as they faded out. I didn't see them move around. While staring at one, in the darkness it appeared to be moving, however when referencing it to a near by power pole you could see it was still in the same spot. (http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/9948/The_Lights.html

Copyright (C) 2001 Dr. Sten Odenwald