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Brown Mountain Lights remain a mystery


Still Waters

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No matter how they try, scientists ranging from paranormal investigators to serious physicists are unable to unlock the mystery of the Brown Mountain Lights in Burke County.

“Artists and scientists alike have congregated around this phenomena,” said Joshua P. Warren, Asheville native turned paranormal investigator who spoke before a crowd of 120 Saturday at city hall at a symposium on the Brown Mountain Lights.

The Brown Mountain Lights, which can be seen from several vantage points along the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Brown Mountain Overlook on North Carolina Highway 181, have been explained as a series of orange-like orbs by those who claim to have seen them.

Stories surrounding the lights range from Indian legends about former slaves to UFO and U.S. military activity.

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Are they similar to Marlboro Lites?

OK seriously... these seem similar to various other lights, such as at Marfa & Sedona in the States, the Min-Min lights in Australia, and indeed the much researched Hessdalen in Norway etc.

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Well, if the lights don't have an explanation, then promote them as a tourist attraction and help support the local community. :tu:

Read >this article which sheds more light on the subject (pardon the pun). :)

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OOOOH! Earthlights! One of the last true atmospheric mysteries on our planet. Has anyone ever seen a map where these sightings are plotted? Soooooooooooo interesting...

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OOOOH! Earthlights! One of the last true atmospheric mysteries on our planet. Has anyone ever seen a map where these sightings are plotted? Soooooooooooo interesting...

Yep -- now that you mention it, that explains everything! :innocent:
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OOOOH! Earthlights! One of the last true atmospheric mysteries on our planet. Has anyone ever seen a map where these sightings are plotted? Soooooooooooo interesting...

Are you able to link to a picture of the map?

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Thanks for posting this Still Waters, I'm from N.C. and I'm really interested in paranormal phenomena in my state. The Brown mountain lights seem to be one of the few unexplained things around here besides the "Devil's stomping ground". I hope you post more weirdness about N.C. in the future, I can't seem to find much when I look.

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Ok this might sound stupid, but has anyone actually bothered wandering over there to see them up close?

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Thanks for posting this Still Waters, I'm from N.C. and I'm really interested in paranormal phenomena in my state. The Brown mountain lights seem to be one of the few unexplained things around here besides the "Devil's stomping ground". I hope you post more weirdness about N.C. in the future, I can't seem to find much when I look.

Would you lose interest if they were perfectly natural rather than paranormal?

IMO it is more likely to be marsh gas (in the UK we call it ''will 'o the wisp'). Shame the attached link didn't show any photographs so I am only giving a guess here. :)

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Is fraudster Joshua P Warren still selling his magic bottled water?

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Ok this might sound stupid, but has anyone actually bothered wandering over there to see them up close?

whether true or not an episode of unsolved mysteries that dealt with this (not sure it was the brown mountain lights but a similar phenomenon) said that no matter how close you get it always seems further away

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hey guys i,ve been to brown mountain before and it is shared between four wheeling, dirt bike riding, and camping. to me those look like lights on a trail.

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Well, if the lights don't have an explanation, then promote them as a tourist attraction and help support the local community.

Read >this article which sheds more light on the subject (pardon the pun).

well going by the article then they could be paranormal, but there is sill a high possibility of them being trailgoer's lights.

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I've seen the lights and I would positively say they are not man-made. Being an avid camper and boater I've seen campfires, ATV lights, flashlights and lantern lights in the woods, but have never seen a light ball that floats around like they do.

No, I didn't take any pictures. :P It was too far away, it was about midnight, we were tired and just wanted to get home. We stopped for a few minutes on the side of the road to stretch our legs and happened to see it. I had forgotten all about hearing about them until then.

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Would you lose interest if they were perfectly natural rather than paranormal?

IMO it is more likely to be marsh gas (in the UK we call it ''will 'o the wisp'). Shame the attached link didn't show any photographs so I am only giving a guess here. :)

no, I wouldn't lose interest, I'm interested in any unusual natural phenomena not just the paranormal. It would be a little disappointing though since it is one of the few mysterious places in my state. I've heard a little about the will 'o wisp, did they ever figure out what they were?

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no, I wouldn't lose interest, I'm interested in any unusual natural phenomena not just the paranormal. It would be a little disappointing though since it is one of the few mysterious places in my state. I've heard a little about the will 'o wisp, did they ever figure out what they were?

Hi Logical.

Yes, it has been known what causes this for some time now. This wiki link explains it very well and gives worldwide examples of legends etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will-o%27-the-wisp

Basically it is just marsh gases from decaying vegatable matter igniting on contact with the air. See above link for full info :)

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Hi Logical.

Yes, it has been known what causes this for some time now. This wiki link explains it very well and gives worldwide examples of legends etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will-o%27-the-wisp

Basically it is just marsh gases from decaying vegatable matter igniting on contact with the air. See above link for full info :)

That description doesn't fit the area in question though. This is rocky, mountain terrain with very few, if any, tiny mountain streams which only flow after heavy rains. They are dry most of the year.

It was most interesting to watch. It floated low to the ground, then up at the top of the trees, circled around behind the trees and back and forth over a large area. We studied it for a good fifteen minutes, trying to see if there was a source for it, but could see none. There didn't seem to be any trails, roads or breaks in the tree line at all. Only a fool would have been climbing the side of these mountains, where we saw it, at night.

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This is one of the things I would love to go see, and it is one of those things that does exist, no debating it :)

National Geographic had a special on this, and the ones in Norway.....I really wonder why there is not much more fuss about this in the Scientific community.....I have not seen any real explanations, just theories.

Anyway, here is a clip

:
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That description doesn't fit the area in question though. This is rocky, mountain terrain with very few, if any, tiny mountain streams which only flow after heavy rains. They are dry most of the year.

It was most interesting to watch. It floated low to the ground, then up at the top of the trees, circled around behind the trees and back and forth over a large area. We studied it for a good fifteen minutes, trying to see if there was a source for it, but could see none. There didn't seem to be any trails, roads or breaks in the tree line at all. Only a fool would have been climbing the side of these mountains, where we saw it, at night.

Hi Michelle. I was not aware of the local terrain there and was just putting forward a possible solution. knowing now what sort of terrain there is, I would think it unlikely that this is the cause. It will be interesting when the cause is eventually found :)

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Intriguing article. I admit I haven't done much research on the topic, but I am familiar with the case of the Paulding Lights. There was huge debate about what they were, then a group of Michigan tech students looked into it and proved the lights to be car headlights/taillights. Video here, for those interested-

Now, with the Brown Mountain Lights, has a similar investigation ever been done on them? I saw a video of a light that appeared to slowly drift upwards from the mountain and suddenly disappear- I can post if wanted. I personally am unsure what I feel, there's still a lot of mystery in this case.

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Now, with the Brown Mountain Lights, has a similar investigation ever been done on them? I saw a video of a light that appeared to slowly drift upwards from the mountain and suddenly disappear- I can post if wanted. I personally am unsure what I feel, there's still a lot of mystery in this case.

The video you may be speaking of is 3 posts above this one......Yes, it has and is investigated.....Not as much as the lights in Norway though.

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Hi Michelle. I was not aware of the local terrain there and was just putting forward a possible solution. knowing now what sort of terrain there is, I would think it unlikely that this is the cause. It will be interesting when the cause is eventually found :)

Without a little mystery, life would become mundane. :tu:

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The earth does have an electrical field, as well as a magnetic field. Maybe "earth lights" have something to do with that? If it looks like light , and shines like light, maybe it's light?

*

Edited by lightly
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The earth does have an electrical field, as well as a magnetic field. Maybe "earth lights" have something to do with that? If it looks like light , and shines like light, maybe it's light?

*

It is light, just not sure how it is produced.

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