Dear Phnom Penh,
Just got around to reading the notes on the students at UT Dallas and their "solution" to the Marfa Lights. Many, like you, refer to the stories from the 1880's which, when read, sound nothing like what is seen today. Most of the stories we read today came after Hwy 67 was built in 1930.
A bigger question is this: Why are similar phenomena not seen on other roads that descend from mountains? Why not the nearby Chisos Mts? The Glass Mts? Or, heaven forbid, the Rockies?
The reason is because many of the hills on the Chinatis are covered with highly reflective white soils (called the Boludo Series) that distort and even multiply car lights, as a fun-house curved mirror does your reflection.
The problem for most researchers is that you must analyze daytime aerial photographs to see this - something that I found is rarely done.
Of course, like finding out how a street magician does his tricks, it loses all its fun and mystery.
Incidently, further support for the refletion theory comes from aircraft data that show the Marfa Lights, while visible at the Observation Site, are not seen from above.
I sincerely hope that many of the "experts" who claim the Marfa Lights are still "mysterious" rethink their position - and soon. Why? Because several states are already using the module "Guiding Light" to educate their students about optics, and the Marfa Light reflection information is included.
They'd look pretty silly when Jr. HS and HS students start explaining the mechanism to them.
Commenting by HaloScan
