The Northern Lights are a popular bucket list activity for many, but nature puts on another light show in a tiny Texas border town that once caught the attention of Hollywood heartthrob James Dean.
Marfa, a desert city that sits between Mexico, New Mexico, and Texas, has become a niche tourist attraction for those looking to see mysterious, unexplained orbs in the sky.
The mysterious orbs randomly light up the sky over Mitchell Flat, a desolate space outside of the small town.
The first sighting of the Marfa Lights was believed to be in 1883, when a cowhand named Robert Reed Ellison saw the flickering lights while driving cattle, according to the Texas State Historical Association.
He believed the orbs were from a nearby campfire, and ever since, the lights have remained a mystery.
Although no one has cracked the code on what has caused the lights, many have floated theories over where they’ve come from.
Some believe the lights are created from a chemical reaction between natural gas leaks and the sun and air.
The Northern Lights are caused by a similar phenomenon and occur when particles from the sun’s surface collide with the Earth.
The mysterious Marfa Lights, also known as the Ghost Lights, can be seen in the small desert town of Marfa, Texas
Hollywood actor James Dean was reportedly obsessed with the lights while he filmed the movie, Giant, in Marfa
These particles typically don’t reach the Earth’s magnetic field, excluding the planet’s poles.
The Aurora Borealis’ striking light patterns are caused by the lines of force in the Earth’s magnetic field.
Some experts speculate that a similar process causes the mysterious orbs in Texas, but no one has tested the theory.
Other conspiracy theorists are convinced that the orbs are from extraterrestrial activity, while some think they’re just a result of headlights from passing cars on Highway 67.
Physics students from the University of Texas had tested the car theory in the early 2000s and observed that when a car passed, lights appeared near the Mitchell Flat.
However, their conclusion doesn’t explain the earlier sightings from the 1800s and early 1900s before the highway was constructed.
Many eyewitness accounts often detail shocking encounters with the mysterious orbs.
Belle Pena Lancaster, a Marfa resident, recalled a cinematic tale during an interview with the History Channel when she was an eighth grader.
Multiple theories have floated around that the lights are from car headlights, a chemical reaction in the air, or alien activity (Pictured: People gathered to watch the lights)
Some believe the two-dimensional orbs are from extraterrestrial activity or have a life of their own
Lancaster recalled one night when she was traveling home from a basketball tournament, when her teammates noticed the lights.
The bus pulled over for the team to get a closer look and the orbs seemed to have a life of their own.
She detailed three two-dimensional orbs of different colors that lit up the entire bus. As the orbs seemed to get closer to the team, the girls became overcome with emotion and started crying.
Lancaster recalled that her coach then instructed the bus driver to leave the area quickly.
William Thornsburg, the author of Marfa Lights and the Marfa Army Airfield, told the History Channel that the lights were ‘intelligent’.
He speculated that the lights ‘communicated’ with officers training at the Marfa Army Air Field during World War II.
The area was chosen as the training site for the Army Air Corps pilots, who Thornsburg believes frequently encountered the lights.
James Dean (right) reportedly set up a telescope to observe the lights while filming in the small desert town
Some have theorized that the lights are a result of a chemical reaction similar to what causes the Northern Lights (pictured in Northern Norway)
‘Whenever those bombers took off, the lights would come out of the ground, and either fly with the plane or fly in the plane,’ he said.
Years later, James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor settled in Marfa to film the Academy Award-winning film, Giant.
Dean reportedly was obsessed with the lights and even set up a telescope in his room during filming.
Nearly 70 years after the film’s release, the Marfa Lights have remained one of the Earth’s most puzzling and fascinating natural mysteries.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .