Ghostlights
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You may have seen ghost lights before, or heard about their existence in a location near you. Usually this phenomenon is described as a glowing ball or balls of light. The lights seem to come in every color of the rainbow, although at some sites the balls emit only one or two colors of light. The lights can sparkle, be stationary or in motion, high in the air or low to the ground. Generally the lights are said to exhibit some sort of bizarre behavior, such as vanishing or displaying evasive action when one moves too close to them.
Ghost lights have also been called will o' the wisps, spooklights, and earthlights. They seem to generally appear in the south and western United States, and are fixed to a specific location. Unlike other forms of strange phenomenon, ghost lights are comparatively reliable in their appearance, and in some places the lights have been the subject of scientific study. Despite this, the source of most such lights remains a mystery.
Many theories and legends surround these mysterious lights. Some scientific attempts at explaining the lights include reflections from nearby traffic or towns, ignited gas from marshland, and, where ghost lights exist near faultlines, some sort of sub-atomic particle reactions. Common folktales told by the locals usually involve ghostly indian braves, phantom trains, or UFOs. Unfortunately, encroaching development in many communities has seemed to extinguish some of the old reliable ghost lights, indicating that the lights probably do have a natural explanation.
There are over 100 ghostlight articles on ghosts.org, ranging from sightings to historical folklore to information. If you'd like to report a sighting or share other information about ghostlights, please email obiwan@ghosts.org.
Following is a list of the ghostlights featured on this page. Please use the menu at left to navigate.
Anson Lights -- Abilene, Texas
Bragg Road/Big Thicket/Saratoga Ghost Light -- Between Saratoga and Bragg, Texas
Brown Mountain Lights -- Brown Mountain, North Carolina
Belfast Light -- Belfast, Virginia
Bingham Light -- Dillon, South Carolina
Chapel Hill Light -- Chapel Hill, Tennessee
The Cohoke Light -- West Point, Virginia
Codgell Spooklight -- Codgell, Georgia
Crossett Light -- Crossett, Arkansas
Dover Lights -- Dover, Arkansas
Gurdon Ghost Light -- Gurdon, Arkansas
Haldeman Light -- Haldeman, Kentucky
Hansell Road -- Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Hornet/Joplin/Seneca Ghost Light -- Missouri/Oklahoma Border
The Maco Light -- Wilmington, North Carolina
Marfa Lights -- Marfa, Texas
Ontario Lights -- Ontario, Canada
Oxford Light -- Oxford, Ohio
Paulding Light -- Watersmeet, Michigan
Scugog Island -- Ontario, Canada
Senath Light -- Arbyrd, Missouri
St.Louis Light -- St.Louis, Saskatchewan, Canada
Surrency Spooklight -- Surrency, Georgia
Links to outside sites:
Earth Lights: The Earth Light Resource
An excellent page with lots of information and links
Geophysical Meteors An explanation of the phenomenon and recent reports of terrestrial lights.
Ghostly Lights as Common as Dew in Dixie
An article about the Maco and Brown Mountain Lights
Ghosts of the Prairie
Some pictures of an unidentified spooklight in southeastern Missouri
Amber Gamblers
Another general article on ghost lights from the UFO guy at about.com
At the Edge: Peakland Spooklights
Ghost lights in England
Old Brewery Hill Spook Light
An account of a ghost light in Minnesota
Illinois Central Spook Light
Another ghost light article from Ghosts of the Prairie
Project Hessdalen
Some strange lights in Norway
Sand Mountain Ghost Lights
Sand Mountain in Kentucky was once home to a ghost light
The Shadowlands Ghost Page
An encounter with the Ghost Light of St. Louis (Canada)
Maple Lake Ghost Light
The Maple Lake Ghost Light, from Ghosts of the Prairie
Blue Light Story
A story about a ghost light in a Texas cemetery (halfway down the page)
Spooklights: Where to Find Them From the paranormal guy at about.com, a quick run-down of famous lights, and some links.
ignis fatuus: The Foolish Fire From the UFO guy at about.com, a quick sum-up of the earth light/tectonic strain theory.
International Earthlights Alliance Technical professionals (scientists and engineers) who are dedicated to the scientific exploration of the earthlight phenomenon.
Earthlights Interesting entry in The Encyclopedia of Astrobiology, Astronomy, and Spaceflight.
This page (http://www.ghosts.org/ghostlights/ghostlights.html) last updated September 22, 2005.