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Earthlight Theories and Explanations |
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Lore and superstition:
What are Earthlights? People have long wondered about glowing orbs of
lights that have been witnessed for centuries if not millennia. You can
see in the list of names below, that they have been described in
supernatural and superstitious terms by cultures whose science was
insufficient to explain them ….so people wondered and speculated about
their nature and named them according to their perceptions and beliefs.
Names that have been associated with Earthlights 1:
ALP (aerial luminous phenomena)
Amber gamblers
Anchimallen
Ball of wildfire
Blazing stars
Blud
Bodhisattva lights
Bramaracokh
Burning shields
Cemetery lights
Corposant
Corpo Santos
Corpse candles
Corpse light
Dead man's candles
Death light
Devil's bonfires
Dickepoten
Earthquake lights
Earthlights
Elf-fire
Elf light
Eskuddit
Fair maid of Ireland
Fairy death lantern
Fairy fire
Fairy-lantern
Fairy lights
Fata morgana
Fetch candle
Fetch lights
Feu follet
Fiery coruscations
Fiery dragons
Fiery drakes |
Fire of destiny
Fireballs
Flaming torch
Flickering fire
Fluffy fire
Fools fire
Flying flame
Foo fighters
Foolish fire
Fools fire
Fox fire
Friar's lantern
Friar Rush with a lantern
Geophysical meteors
Ghost beacons
Ghost fire
Ghost lights
Ghostly lanterns
Ghostly lights
Going fire
Gorgons
Hob-lantern
Hornet Spooklight
Ignis fatuus
Irrlicht
Jack of the bright light
Jack-o'-lantern
Laim na lasoige
Lambent flame
Lantern man
LP (luminous phenomena)
Lumères de la terre
Luminous clouds
Luminous columns |
Luminous vapors
Luz mala
Meg of the lantern
Min-Min lights
Money lights
Mysterious flares
Mystery lights
Night suns
Nocturnal lights
orbs
Peg-a-lantern
Peggy with the lantern
Phantom effluence
Pixie lights
Puck-lantern
Robin Good-fellow
Rocket lightning
Sean na gealaige
Sparkling fires
Spirit lantern
Spook lights
Spunkie
Strange lightning
Strange meteors
Teine side
Teine sionnii
The Hessdalen Phenomenon
The swamp ghost
Treasure lights
UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena)
UFOs
Unctuous vapor
Walking fire
William with the little light
Will-o'-the-wisps
Wisps |
The name “Earthlight” was devised by author Paul Devereux in 1982. We
have chosen to use the name”Earthlight” because the lights are usually
seen close to the ground. Other names imply assumptions about the
character of the lights, but IEA acknowledges that the Earthlight
phenomenon may be an undiscovered natural phenomenon whose character we
have yet to discover.
Many theories, explanations, and
folklore tales
exist concerning Earthlights. Some of the names in the list above are
descriptive of the folklore. The theories and possible mechanisms show a
wide variation. One of the reasons is that not enough physical data has
been gathered yet to provide a basis to validate any theory. IEA is
conducting research to acquire data so that theories may be tested.
Currently, IEA emphasizes that none of these theories have been proven
as the cause of Earthlights.
Causes for Earthlights can be separated into two categories;
explanations and theories for mechanisms. Explanations presume that
Earthlights do not physically exist and that the observation of lights
has a different or artifactual cause. Theories imply that Earthlights do
physically exist. They speculate on the mechanisms by which they could
occur.
Popular explanations: |
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Popular theories: |
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Description popular explanations:
Vehicle headlights:
Many speculations have been made that lights seen at various Earthlight
sights are actually headlights of cars, trucks, motorcycles or other
vehicles traveling along highways, county roads or jeep trails. Indeed,
many lights observed at Earthlight sites are vehicles. But the fact that
vehicle headlights are in the area, does not rule out the possibility of
genuine Earthlights in the same area. The vehicle headlight explanation
may fit only lights which are seen in the direction of roads. By
examining the spectrum of a light one can determine whether it is a
vehicle headlight. Earthlights usually have different movement patterns
and different spectra than vehicles.
Mirages:
“A refraction phenomenon wherein an image of some distant object is
made to appear displaced from its true position because of large
vertical density variations rear the surface; the image may appear
distorted, inverted, or wavering.” 2
Mirages are caused by the way in which light passes through air layers
of different densities. As light waves move through the air layers, its
path is bent or refracted toward the denser air. The index of refraction
(amount of bending) for air varies with the density of the air. Air
density is strongly dependent on its pressure, temperature and water
vapor content.
Mirages appear under certain weather conditions. Spectacular mirages
such as the Fata Morgana mirage (which distorts images, making them
appear to elongate and rise vertically), can trick the brain into
thinking it sees something quite different from what is actually there.
Sometimes mirages reflect light from over the horizon; a light that
appears to be up in the air can actually be a distant car headlight from
a road on the other side of a mountain. It is also possible to see a
light from an airplane high up in the air reflected from the ground
giving the appearance that the light was actually on the ground.
More information can be found at the Weather Doctor’s web pages:
http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/elements/mirage1.htm
http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/elements/supmrge.htm
The mirage may be an explanation for some of the lights seen, as long as
weather conditions are conducive for such occurrence, and there is a
source of light in the distance. The mirage explanation can not account
for lights seen by people located at different locations, who see the
same light in different directions. The mirage explanation also does not
fit when a light illuminates the ground beneath, or moves rapidly over a
large (>30º) horizontal angular distance.
Aircraft:
Light sightings near airports may often be aircraft. However, aircraft
may not be the full explanation to account for all of the lights
observed. Special attention needs to be paid in order to discriminate
aircraft from genuine lights. Some Earthlights that are seen above the
horizon can be confused with aircraft. Usually, aircraft have red and
green (port and starboard) strobe lights as well as top and belly strobe
lights. These strobe lights usually flash once per second. They are
indicators that the object/light is most likely an aircraft. Often more
puzzling, are aircraft with landing lights on, flying on departure or
approaches to airports when their altitude is too high for the wingtip
red and green strobes to be observed. In these cases only the landing
lights are seen from the ground and can be confusing to Earthlight
observers. When the pilot turns the landing lights off after takeoff,
the airplane seems to suddenly ”disappear” because smaller lights cannot
be seen if the altitude altitude is too high. Aviation procedures are
structured such that landing lights may be turned off at precise precise
times during climb out after takeoff. Because most airlines’ flights are
scheduled, observers at a specific location may see objects about the
same time in the sky each night, that seem to approach or rise
vertically then ”disappear”. Such aircraft may be mistaken as
Earthlights specific to that area.
Airport approach patterns can also be a source of confusion. Many
observers assume that aircraft fly straight to airport runways. Although
this is often the case, standard airport approach patterns can cause
multiple lights that appear suspended in the air or slowly drifting
downwards, then suddenly disappear. Airport approaches are actually a
horizontal rectangle over the airport that begins, flying in the
opposite direction of the airport (downwind leg) along side the airport
runway. Next, an aircraft turns to the base leg, perpendicular to the
runway while it continues to descend. Finally, the aircraft turns
towards the runway on the final approach, continuing to descend. An
observer on the ground may see several airplanes descending at various
altitudes as they fly towards him on the any of the legs. The lights
seem to disappear when the airplanes turn to the nex t leg of the
approach and the landing light beam is no longer in the direction of the
observer. If multiple lights appear in an equally spaced vertical line,
it is probable that this is a aircraft landing pattern. Atmospheric
turbulance can make landing lights twinkle. If the airport is near a
body of water, mysterious reflections can arise that make it appear as
if the light is submerging. Weather conditions can also distort and
affect the appearance of landing lights close to the ground.
Examining the spectra of lights near airports is helpful in discerning
aircraft lights.
Planets and stars:
In 2003 the planet Mars was very close to earth. It appeared as a bright
orange orb especially around sunset. It was large enough to even
momentarily fool some experienced Hessdalen observers when it appeared
after clouds suddenly parted. Incidents like these also occur with the
planet Venus and even the bright star Sirius as well as other
astronomical bodies. Stationary objects above the horizon are often
astronomical bodies. Such sightings should be checked against
astronomical software that will show the night sky patterns for given
dates and times.
Fires:
Campfires, bonfires, garbage fires oil refineries, grass and forest
fires are all sources of nighttime illumination. Although they can be
mistaken for Earthlights, usually these are not plentiful enough to
explain a significant portion of Earthlight sightings. Use of a
telescope or binoculars will reveal the nature of this kind of light.
Yard lights:
Earthlight sites are usually polluted by electric outdoor lights. Yard
and building lights always add confusion to Earthlight sightings. Indeed
many sightings are often these types of lights. They can sparkle and
scintillate due to atmospheric disturbances usually wind or heat.
However, at Earthlight locations, genuine Earthlights can occur among
the yard and building lights such as at Marfa Texas and in Southern AZ.
It is critical that observers know the bearing of all man-made lights
from his or her location before making assumptions of a valid Earthlight
sighting. Known yard lights are valuable ”standard lights” to use to
identify the bearing of Earthlights that may appear.
Swamp gas:
Burning swamp gas was first proposed as an explanation by Dr. J.A. Hynek
in 1966 to explain observations of luminous phenomenon in a Michigan
swamp. Methane or swamp gas, caused by decaying vegetation, has been
known to ignite spontaneously and to cast a flickering light. This
explanation may only fit a small fraction of observations where there
are lights above swamp areas. The swamp gas explanation does not fit
when a light moves against the wind, or when there are no swamps in the
area.
Virtual images induced in the human brain:
Neurophysiologist Dr. Michael Persinger proposed that strain fields
within the Earth’s crust may produce electromagnetic discharges that may
manifest by directly affecting the human brain so that the observer will
perceive he or she is viewing a moving body of light. Persinger has been
able to produce bizarre light effects by placing a helmet that generates
similar fields on the heads of volunteers in the laboratory. This theory
may account for some sightings, however since Earthlights can be
captured on 35mm film and on video cameras and measured in other ways,
it is not the explanation for the entire Earthlight phenomenon.
Description of Popular Theories:
Theory Overview:
IEA does not necessarily agree with or support the theories below.
They are simply a collection of theories and explanations that are
offered as educational information to apprise you of current thinking
about Earthlight mechanisms.
Tectonic Strain Theory (TST)
Strain can build up in the Earth’s crust through various processes, as
tectonic activity, tidal action and human activity such as dams and
reservoirs. Dr. Michael Persinger
3, 4 and Dr. John Derr have both
hypothesized that strain fields within the Earth’s crust may produce
electromagnetic discharges that can manifest by becoming visible as a
moving body of light. Marsha Adams’ work supports this hypothesis as she
has observed fluctuations in Extremely Low Frequency electromagnetic
emissions prior to earthquakes.5 Reports of light observations have been
made over a large radius from the epicenter of large earthquakes before
they occur. When lights are seen in an area prior to an earthquake, they
are called “earthquake lights”.
Although this is one of the more attractive proposed mechanisms for
Earthlights, it probably does not explain all of the valid sightings.
Earthlights do occur near areas with seismically active histories such
as Marfa Texas. However Earthlights are rarely seen in other known
seismically active areas such as California. Additionally, lights are
seen in areas of low seismic activity such as Hessdalen Valley. So
although this theory may explain some of the lights it is not likely to
be the explanation for all of them.
Volcanic activity:
Author and researcher Egon W. Bach has found that reported observations
cluster around volcanoes.6 El Popo (Popocatepetl in Mexico) became active
in 1991. In the same year people in Mexico started reporting lights.
Most of the sightings were close to volcanoes. El Popo has been active
for many years, and so have the observations of lights in the Mexican
highland.
The proposed mechanism is as follows: Ultra Low Frequency (ULF)
electromagnetic waves may trigger a process that causes light. ULF may
be produced when volcanic activity increases, bubbles of gas in magma
float up to the surface. Bubbles of gas disturb the magma surface
supporting the oscillations on the surface, which gives off ULF
electromagnetic waves.7 - Significant anomalous changes in the ultra low
frequency range (≈0.01 Hz) were observed in both geoelectric and
geomagnetic fields before the major volcano-seismic activity.8 Strand, Fryberger and Devereux measured increased amplitude fluctuations in the
geomagnetic field close to the volcano Popocatepetl on an expedition
1996.9
One hypothesis is that these anomalous electromagnetic discharges may
trigger a process that causes a visible moving body of light. This is
similar to the tectonic strain theory. This theory may explain sightings
which occur close to active volcanoes. This theory does not fit
Earthlight observations where there are no active volcanoes.
Geologic Fault lines:
Author Paul Devereux found that reported observations clustered around
geologic fault lines in the UK.10 The fault line observations support Persinger/Derr’s tectonic strain theory. However it does not explain
lights that occur away from fault zones.
Solar activity
Several researchers have speculated about relationships between solar
activity and the appearance of Earthlights. Teodorani and Nobili
analysed the occurrence of lights in the Hessdalen Valley against the
sunspot number. They found no correlation.11 Gori proposes that Earthlight
appearance may be related to the electron density of the ionosphere.12
The electron density varies seasonally and with solar activity. Adams
has performed statistical analysis of California sightings with
additional geophysical variables linked to solar activity. The analysis
is in process and looks promising. It will be published later on this
web site.
Here is a link to
further specific
mechanisms
Page by Erling P. Strand and Marsha H. Adams February 17,
2004
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1 List courtesy of Jader Monary, IRA-CNR, Italy
2 The American Meteorological Society’s Glossary of Weather
and Climate
3 Persinger, Michael A. (1976) “Transient Geophysical Bases
for Ostensible UFO-related
Phenomena and Associated Verbal Behavior", Percept. Motor Skills, 43,
215-221
4 Persinger, Michael A., and Lafreniere, Gyslaine F. (1977)
“Space-Time Transients and Unusual
Events”, Nelson-Hall. ISBN 0882294628
5 Adams, M. (1990) “Some Observations of Electromagnetic
Signals Prior to California
Earthquakes”, Journal of Scientific Exploration,
Vol. 4, Number 2
Kopytenko, Nikitina, (2003) Geophysical Research Abstract,
Vol.5 0037
6 Bach, E. (1993) ” ’ Ufo’s’ from the Volcanoes” ISBN
1557790620
7 Kopytenko, Nikitina, (2003) Geophysical Research Abstract,
Vol.5 0037
8 Proc Acad Sci USA, 2002 May 28;99 (11): 7352-7355
9 Unpublished, Discovery Channel
10 Devereux, P. (1989) ”Earth Lights Revelation” ISBN
0713722096
11 Teodorani, M., Nobili, (2002) ”A Optical and
Ground Survey in Hessdalen”
12
Gori, F. (2003) ”Hessdalen
2002-I.C.P.H. Mission: Electron Density Hypothesis” |
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